RS rush heads Audi ‘year of performance'

Three confirmed new RS models will headline a self-declared year of performance for Audi in 2013.

The RS4 Avant will kick off proceedings in January, the RS5 Cabrio will arrive mid-year and the final Audi launch of 2013 will be the RS Q3 pocket-rocket SUV.

Peppered in between that lot will be the A6 and A7 Biturbo diesels, the A6 Hybrid, new A3 Sportback, an R8 facelift, S3 hot-hatch and SQ5 twin-turbo diesel.

Even before that lot lands, you can expect the TT RS Plus super-coupe and the midlife facelift of the popular Q5 SUV this December (check the end of the story for the full list).

Not all new Audis are coming our way, however, as both the high-performance S8 and its fuel-sipping hybrid relation have been ruled out as Aussie buyers turn away from traditional three-box luxury sedans in favour of SUVs.

“Next year is very much a performance year,” says Audi Australia Corporate Communications Manager Anna Burgdorf. “You look at that list and what more could you want?”

Ms Burgdorf predicted the SQ5 turbo-diesel and RS Q3 turbo-petrol will generate plenty of interest as new entrants in the infant hot-rod SUV class.

“SQ5 will be fantastic - that will shake up the market,” she said. “It’s a brilliant car that stands relatively alone in the market segment.

“With Australia being such an SUV market and focussed so strongly on performance it combines all that into one package and we hope to capitalise on that with a very competitive price.”

Ms Burgdorf said the RS Q3 would be specified highly and forecast pricing well above current Q3 levels, which potentially translates to around $80,000.

Despite this rush of performance models, the A3 Sportback is by far the biggest volume model Audi will launch in Australia next year. It will play a key role in returning the brand to solid sales growth.

The brand’s sales are lagging this year for the first time since Audi’s model rush began back in 2004.

Year-on-year to the end of September sales were down 4.2 per cent, although that’s a solid improvement from earlier in the year and reflects the arrival of facelifted A4 and A5 and the launch of Q3.

The company still expects to finish ahead of its 2011 record of 14,511 sales. It has a target to reach 15,000 sales per annum in Australia by 2015, but doesn’t expect to achieve that ahead of target this year.

“I think we might not make 15,000 (in 2012),” Ms Burgdorf said. “We want to grow but the important thing for us is that we have sustainable growth. Getting to a number like 15,000 can’t be at the expense of genuine, sustainable sales.

“We went through explosive growth between 2004 and 2009, but we have now entered a different period of growth. We have now levelled out - we are growing at a comparable rate to our key competition.

By that, Ms Burgdorf means Mercedes-Benz and BMW, who appear certain to attain a rare sales increase over Audi in Australia this year. Globally, however, Audi continues to close the gap on BMW and gap Benz.

Ms Burgdorf was speaking at the Australian launch of the A4 and A6 allroad crossovers last week.

Unfortunately absent from the launch was Audi Australia Managing Director Uwe Hagen, who broke both legs in a recent motorcycle accident. He is expected to be off work for four weeks.

What’s hot from Audi:
TT RS Plus: 265kW, last hurrah for second-generation TT
RS4 Avant: Third-gen super-wagon with a 331kW 4.2 V8 marshalled by quattro
R8 facelift: Dual-clutch auto replaces rotten robotised manual, plus powered-up V10
RS5 Cabrio: Topless 4.2-litre V8 sprints to 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds
SQ5: Twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre diesel in mid-size SUV
S3: Three-door hot-hatch with 221kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine
RS Q3: Beijing show concept powered by TT RS Plus engine

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