Audi RS1 On Track for 2017 Geneva Motorshow

Sources close to Audi suggest that the smallest Audi is getting set to release its smallest RS model ever, the Audi RS1. French website, TF1, are reporting first-hand information that suggests Audi will a manic Audi RS1 on the increasingly competitive hot hatch market.

Contrary to a statement made by Stephan Reil, the technical director at Quattro GmbH, in 2014, Audi are going to adorn the smallest car in their range with the fabled RS badge.

It is suggested that the Audi RS1 will be powered by the same 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged engine from the current Audi TTS, Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R. Fitting the engine into the tine A1 platform won’t be an issue given the Audi S1 already sports a heavily detuned version of the same engine (170kW/370Nm).

Justifying the extra expenditure for a retuned version of the same engine could, however, prove to be a more difficult task. The 40% price rise between the Audi S3 and RS3 is justified by the inclusion of Audi’s fabled 5-cylinder turbocharged engine in the RS3. The RS1, on the other hand, would merely feature a retuned engine, improved suspension and an automatic gearbox, which, depending where you sit on the automatic vs. manual debate, may be less of an incentive to buy the RS1 over the S1.

Depending on how far Audi are willing to push the RS1, we could potentially see the 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged engine squeezed to 230kW/450Nm and, when paired with a slick shifting seven speed DSG, a 0-100km/h time of just over 4seconds.