Audi Australia says it will take up the fight to archrival BMW's MINI brand and look for new buyer blood with its A1 prestige light/small car Down Under.

"Premium is no longer just about being big. A premium brand downsizing to a smaller car is now cool. As soon as A1 is available, we'll [Audi Australia] be the first to hold our hand up," the brand's General Manager Marketing, Immo Buschmann told the Carsales Network.

Speaking at this week's local launch of the Audi A4 Avant, the Buschmann, called the MINI/Fiat 500-rivalling premium baby car, unveiled in concept form at last year's Tokyo motor show (more here) but yet to make it to production, "a marketeer's dream".

While the original A1 city car was not suitable for local consumption, he said the Australian market had matured sufficiently to embrace the new car.

"The A1 will allow us to attract even more people to the Audi brand. It will target young 'metros' but we will also be aiming it at existing customers as a second car," Buschmann said.

According to the local Audi marketing boss, the brand has been deliberately conservative with the marketing of its Golf-sized A3. The A1, he suggests, opens the door to more adventurous strategies.

Buschmann said the A1 opened many options in terms of avantgarde marketing methods -- "the whole MINI thing," Buschmann said.

Displayed under the Metroproject badge, the Tokyo A1 featured the same 110kW 1.4-litre Twincharger engine as used in the Volkswagen Golf GT TSI. A 30kW electric motor provided additional drive via the rear axle.

Though petrol/electric and pure electric drivetrains are mooted for the car, the production version coming Down Under is unlikely to feature the hybrid hardware, at least initially.

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