Audi showcases Q3 rendering

These are the first official renderings of Audi's Q3 SUV ahead of its launch at next month's Shanghai motor show.

The Volkswagen Tiguan-based Q3 is due on sale globally before the end of the year. It’s loosely based on the Cross Coupé concept that was shown at the Shanghai motor show as long ago as 2007.

The profile of the Q3 from its rendering does suggest that the show car’s steeply raked tailgate is being kept for production, making the Q3 more of a coupé crossover than a pure mini-SUV.

The new model will slot into Audi’s line-up beneath the Q5 and Q7. It’s around 4.4m long, 1.8m wide and 1.6m high — 20cm shorter and 7cm narrower than the Q5.

The Q3 will be mechanically similar to the Volkswagen Tiguan, although Audi is likely to offer adaptive damping on its model. It will feature three petrol engines — a 140bhp 1.4, a 180bhp 1.8 and a 210bhp 2.0 — plus two diesels, with 140bhp and 170bhp. A 204bhp twin-turbodiesel is also in the pipeline.