The Frankfurt Motor Show is fast approaching with a slew of exciting debuts. And you can bet Audi will use the semi-annual home-turf show to debut some savory pieces of machinery, but just what those will be is still a matter of speculation. Earlier reports suggested the new A8 could bow in Frankfurt, along with ruminations of drop-top or even electric variants of the R8 supercar. But the latest reports indicate that Ingolstadt is secretly preparing the RS3 hot hatch for its close up.
Based on the A3 premium hatch, the RS3 would firmly upstage the existing S3 with the TT RS powerplant, only reportedly tuned up to as much as 400 horsepower. That's a lot of horses, but you can bet Audi's signature Quattro all-wheel-drive system would be up to the task. Frankfurt debut or not, this is one four-ringed circus we're looking forward to, whenever it's ready.
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE version of Audi’s already-quick S3 hot hatch is widely tipped to make an appearance at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the latest in a series of fast Audis to make their debut this year.
No official word has been offered by Audi that such an event will occur, but this week a ‘tweet’ appeared on popular social networking site Twitter from Audi of Capetown, in South Africa.
“Looking forward to the unveiling of the new Audi RS3. 2.5L five-cylinder turbocharged engine, 4WD & 335Bhp. See it at Frankfurt Motor Show,” the message reads.
The V10-powered Audi R8 5.2 FSI and TT RS have already hit the market, and the RS3 is expected to arrive in showrooms before the year is out.
S3-bodied prototypes were spotted circling the Nurburgring earlier this year, and development on the RS3 appears to be well advanced.
The RS3 is expected to be powered by the same turbocharged inline-five used by the TT RS, which spits out 250kW and 450Nm of torque.
Engine output may be detuned but, like the TT RS, a six-speed manual gearbox will most likely be the only transmission available in the RS3.
Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system will take power to the ground and endow the RS3 with a substantial amount of grip. With its turbo AWD layout and five-door hatchback body, the RS3 should prove a worthy alternative to the Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, albeit with more refined European appointments.
The Frankfurt Motor Show opens on September 15, when - if the rumours are correct - we’ll see Audi’s latest and greatest hot hatch uncovered for the first time.
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE version of Audi’s already-quick S3 hot hatch is widely tipped to make an appearance at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the latest in a series of fast Audis to make their debut this year.
No official word has been offered by Audi that such an event will occur, but this week a ‘tweet’ appeared on popular social networking site Twitter from Audi of Capetown, in South Africa.
“Looking forward to the unveiling of the new Audi RS3. 2.5L five-cylinder turbocharged engine, 4WD & 335Bhp. See it at Frankfurt Motor Show,” the message reads.
The V10-powered Audi R8 5.2 FSI and TT RS have already hit the market, and the RS3 is expected to arrive in showrooms before the year is out.
S3-bodied prototypes were spotted circling the Nurburgring earlier this year, and development on the RS3 appears to be well advanced.
The RS3 is expected to be powered by the same turbocharged inline-five used by the TT RS, which spits out 250kW and 450Nm of torque.
Engine output may be detuned but, like the TT RS, a six-speed manual gearbox will most likely be the only transmission available in the RS3.
Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system will take power to the ground and endow the RS3 with a substantial amount of grip. With its turbo AWD layout and five-door hatchback body, the RS3 should prove a worthy alternative to the Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, albeit with more refined European appointments.
The Frankfurt Motor Show opens on September 15, when - if the rumours are correct - we’ll see Audi’s latest and greatest hot hatch uncovered for the first time.
Audi to unveil RS3 in Frankfurt?
I Have The Need For Speed
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