Audi A3 news - Softly does it - 2007

In a welcome moment of balmy summer escapism from a dank winter's day, Audi has revealed the new A3 Cabriolet.

Due to go on sale next spring, the A3 Cabrio is Audi's first ever compact cabriolet, and the big news is that - unlike most cars in this class - it gets a folding canvas instead of a hard-top.

That's good news for two reasons. One, as there's no bulky folding metal to store away, the A3 Cabrio retains a proper set of rear seats and a decent-sized boot. And two, weight is kept down - good news for performance.

Not that the A3 Cabrio will be exactly blistering. It'll initially be limited to the choice of two engines - two petrol and two diesel - with a 200bhp TFSI four-pot topping the range. That'll hit 60mph in a touch over seven seconds, but there's no word on a proper quattro model at the moment.

There's more choice in the roof department, though. Buyers have the choice of three colours - red, blue or black - and two specifications, semi-automatic and fully automatic, both of which will open in just nine seconds at speeds of up to 20mph.

If open-topped wafting is your bent, the A3 Cabrio looks like a decent first effort from Audi. Apart from those daft chrome roll-hoops. But at least they'll spend most of the year under the roof.