Audi’s fourth-generation A3 range has been mostly rolled out, but there is currently one essential ingredient missing for those who lust after high-performance five-cylinder engines.
But it shouldn’t be a long wait for the reveal of the all-new Audi RS3 models, which is expected to take place shortly, and to tide us over until then the Ingolstadt based firm has released a few teaser images showing both the Sportback and Sedan versions of the new high-performance model.
The Audi RS3 prototypes shown off in this ‘RS family photo’ have minimal disguise, so we can see the flared wheel arches, huge frontal air inlets, chain link grille, side skirts and bold diffuser that will characterise the new performers.
But what’s beneath the bonnet? Audi isn’t saying anything for now, although it appears that the five digits plastered along the sides of the vehicles is the firing sequence for the five-cylinder engine that will once again power the RS3 Sportback and Sedan.
According to Autocar, there are no power hikes on the cards, meaning the new Audi RS3 will match its predecessor’s outputs of 294 kW and 480 N.m.
As a non-electrified, five-cylinder internal combustion model, the new RS3 could be among the last of its kind in the high-performance Audi family, with the company’s sales and marketing head Rolf Michl recently confirming that by 2024 Audi wants more than half of its high-performance models to be partially or fully electrified, with this increasing to 80 percent by 2026 and 100 percent by the end of the decade.
“We want to offer our customers the right products and services for their specific markets and segments. This ranges from the electrification of a broad spectrum of vehicles via mild-hybrid technology to the flexibility of plug-in hybrids and the unique driving experience of all-electric cars,” Michl said.
The recently revealed RS e-tron GT is the first of the fully-electrified Audi RS models.