Audi's Ploy To Get People Talking About Its New Car Worked Perfectly

Alex Davies / Business InsiderJournalists check out the new A3 in New York.The press days at the New York International Auto Show are done, and there's a lot of buzz around the new luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, BMW, and Audi.

But while those first three brands all showed off their vehicles at the show, Audi didn't.

The company is saving the official debut of its 2015 A3 sedan for the Shanghai Motor Show next month, but didn't want to let its rivals hog all the spotlight this week. So it revealed the car Tuesday night, the eve of the show.

The packed event at Pier 59 in Manhattan was open only to journalists, so the public won't have the chance to see the car in person for a while.

But the reveal got Audi coverage from every major auto news source. Car and Driver, Jalopnik, USA Today, the New York Times, the Detroit Free Press, and many others reported the reveal.

We did too.

So even without a car on display to rival the BMW 328d, Cadillac CTS, and Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, Audi is being talked about. And that's just what it wants.