SPY PICS: Audi S1 prototype
Audi set to spearhead its facelifted A1 line-up with an amped-up 2.0-litre turbo-powered performance flagshipAudi is set to unleash a stove-hot S1 range-topper for its A1 line-up, packing a 2.0-litre turbo engine to take the fight to the Ford Focus ST, Peugeot 208 GTi and Renault’s upcoming Clio RS.
Sharing components with the limited-edition VW Polo R WRC (just 2500 of which will be produced in left-hand drive), the S1 is expected to debut at the Geneva motor show next March, spearheading the roll-out of a facelifted A1 line-up.
Captured here by the Automedia lenses, this S1 prototype is festooned with psychedelic camouflage, but the key details are still visible.
The vital giveaways that this test mule is packing a more potent powerplant than the 1.4 TSI unit is provided by the beefy wheel/tyre combo and quartet of exhausts protruding from cutouts in the rear bumper. Also note the sidesill extensions, two-bar grille and aggressive front bumper/spoiler assembly.
According to sources, the all-wheel-drive S1 will derive propulsion from a derivative of the EA888 2.0-litre turbo engine used by the likes of the Golf GTI and other models in the VW Group portfolio.
It’s believed the 165kW motor will deliver a 0-100km/h sprint of around 6.5 seconds in the S1, giving it a performance edge over the (significantly cheaper) Clio RS, which scoots from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds, on its way to a top whack of 230km/h.
However, the S1 is still not as fleet-footed as the 188kW limited-run A1 quattro that was released last year (just 333 examples were sold, all in left-hand-drive guise).
The S1’s 2.0-litre turbo engine will be hooked up to either six-speed manual or optional seven-speed DSG sequential relaying power to a Haldex-style multi-plate clutch four-wheel-drive system.
Despite its relatively high pricing for a car of its size and genre, the existing A1 has been a steady seller in Australia, notching up 899 sales until the end of July this year (compared with 962 sales for the same period last year).
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