2014 Audi A3 Sportback Not Headed to US: Brand Says

Audi will continue as previously planned with its A3 for sale in the U.S. as a sedan model only according to a company representative.

Migrating to Volkswagen’s new MQB platform, the car will arrive on U.S. shores in 2014, but only as a sedan model. Rumors that the five-door model, which Audi called the Sportback, might be sold alongside its sedan sibling are circulating today but the brand denies that there are any plans for such a sale.
Despite that, the same representative said while the Sportback is not a finalized model for the U.S. market, there are “discussions taking place, but nothing where it’s fixed and set in stone.”
Should Audi decide to sell its five-door version, it would continue to offer American buyers an option both Mercedes and BMW currently neglect. While that might turn out to be a clever play, hatchbacks have historically been slow sellers in the land where high-riding SUVs and crossovers are still king.
Selling the A3 in a sedan could turn out to be just the snake oil Audi needs. As of September, it reported selling 5,750 A3s this year. BMW, on the other hand, reported 7,731 3 Series sedans in Spetember alone or 68,352 total sales this year.