The new model marks Audi's first venture into the compact car segment, with the A1 aimed at a completely new target group.

And the carmaker is also reporting a level of interest never seen before – over 103,000 prospective customers have already signed up to be notified when advance sales of the A1 start.

'I have never before witnessed such a high level of interest in a new model even before the start of advance sales,' remarked Peter Schwarzenbauer, the Audi board member responsible for marketing and sales. 'Judging by the high level of demand, orders this year could well exceed our production capacity.'

Following the official start of production on 11 May, the new car will be built at the rate of 500 per day over two shifts at the Brussels plant. A total of 50,000 units of the Audi A1 are scheduled to be built at the Brussels plant by the end of 2010. Next year, the manufacturer is planning to deliver around 80,000 units of the A1 to customers; ultimately, the annual target on average is 100,000 units.

Audi is launching the model in two engine versions, the 1.4 TFSI and the 1.6 TDI, with the ultra-economical 1.2 TFSI to follow shortly. The carmaker says that the model aims to redefine the benchmark for efficiency with its direct injection and start-stop system with braking energy recovery.