Audi Q3

Small crossover or hatchback on VW's MEB platform will take entry-level EV spot.

We talk cars from Mercedes-AMG and Audi and the future of Tesla.

Audi's compact crossover does a lot of growing up for round two.

Spiffier exterior sheetmetal covers a larger and more useful crossover.

It looks like a little Q8.

It's familiar and familial.

Audi debuted its Connected Mobility Concept at the 2016 Beijing Motor show. The concept is based on the Audi Q3 production model.

As if the existing RS Q3 weren't enough to keep us gazing longingly across the ocean, now Audi has rolled out an even more potent Performance version to dial up our jealousy to eleven.

The Audi Q3 is getting a new face and some new equipment for the 2016 model year. The base price is also seeing a jump to $34,625, after destination.

Audi recalls the 2015 Q3 over an issue with the sunroof: it won't stop closing even when you turn the car off.

Audi introduced the Q3 crossover to fight in the increasingly popular compact, premium CUV segment. But as we found out, the smallest Q just isn't good enough.

Episode #406 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Brandon Turkus, and Chris Bruce talk about the Mustang Shelby GT 350, the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the Volkswagen Golf winning Motor Trend Car of the Year honors. We start with what's in the Autoblog Garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down b

Well, that was quick. A mere 20 months after its debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Audi has issued a fairly significant update to its RS Q3 crossover. A light exterior refresh – the most noticeable change is that the grille surround and headlights are now joined – belies more significant changes under the compact crossover's hood.

Audi only debuted the 2015 Q3 compact crossover for the US market at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show in January, yet that feels like a lifetime ago. However, the little luxury CUV is finally getting close to reaching these shores, and alleged pricing for it is leaking out.

The annual Wörthersee festival is much more than a land of ridiculous one-off concepts for fans of the Volkswagen Group to ogle over. Brands like Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT actually showoff some real stuff, including accessories for existing vehicles.

If you're traveling overseas and happen upon a Seat showroom, you can expect to see a lot of lift-gates. You'll see them on city cars, hatchbacks, wagons and minivans, but with the sole exception of the rebadged old Audi A4 they call the Exeo – which is available as either a sedan or, again, as a wagon – they've all got hatches at the back, not trunks. The one thing it's been missing is an SUV or crossover, but that's just what the Spanish automaker has in the works.

You can hardly blame Audi for its decision to finally bring its Q3 compact crossover to America, even though it's been on sale in other global markets since 2012. CUVs of all stripes are red hot, and the number of players in the US entry-level premium segment is mushrooming. Rapidly growing Audi simply can't afford to be left out of the discussion in favor of vehicles like the BMW X1, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, and even small near-luxury entries like the Buick Encore, if only because capturi

The market for small premium crossover vehicles continues to grow in popularity here in the US, and Audi is finally ready to get in on the action. Going up against competitors like the BMW X1, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and soon-to-arrive Mercedes GLA-Class, Audi will unveil a US-spec version of the 2015 Q3 at the Detroit Auto Show next week. And in what we can only assume is an amusing coincidence, the Q3 will go on sale during Q3 of this year.

The year 1994 was a really good year for German performance fans, because it was that year when Audi released its very first official RS model (for "RennSport," or racing sport), the RS2 Avant. Recently, I was invited to participate in a three-day leg of the Audi Land of Quattro Alpen Tour, a blatant flaunting over hill and dale of the company's current lineup of RS models. We hit Austria, Switzerland and Italy – the roads were epic and the weather held for this exquisite boondoggle.

One of the major changes that made to the Audi SQ5 to get it ready for the US market was a ride height that was lifted by 1.2 inches compared to its European counterparts. The small increase allowed the SQ5 to retain its "light truck" classification of the Q5 for emissions regulations. In a similar move, Car and Driver is reporting that the Audi Q3 crossover will also be joining the Audi lineup in the US once it receives a facelift and taller ride height.