New 2021 Audi RS 3 to get 400bhp+

The Audi RS 3 has entered the final levels of progress forward of its unveiling this September 2021 – with the gross sales and internet marketing boss of Audi Activity revealing to Automobile Categorical that admirers can “rely” on the firm’s engineers to deliver with this third-technology model of the vehicle.

In an exclusive interview with us, Audi Sport’s Product sales and Promoting main, Frank Michl, called the new Audi RS 3 “one of the results tales of the manufacturer.” He attributed the car’s popularity to its 5-cylinder powertrain, hinting that Audi would not appear to downsize with this Mk3 design.

Michl explained: “I believe [the RS 3] is one particular of the most psychological Audi Activity cars and trucks and is a key portion of the brand’s DNA, even going back to the first quattro. You can be positive that for just about every upcoming RS design we will normally choose forward the superior facets and properties.”

On the other hand, Michl refused to disclose any specific specifics on the RS 3’s specs, stating only that it would be “some months” until the new vehicle would make its debut, even though Automobile Categorical can reveal Audi’s upcoming Mercedes-AMG A 45 fighter will be unveiled this September, reaching United kingdom streets in advance of the close of 2021.

While Audi bosses are now beginning to discuss in earnest about the challenge, the new RS 3 has been spied many situations in the hands of engineers at the Nurburgring, indicating that the new 400bhp+ tremendous-hatch is in the final levels of assessment. Here’s every little thing we know so considerably. 

Audi RS 3: layout and platform

Our most just lately spied take a look at vehicle wears fewer camouflage than previous mules, supplying us a decent sign of the finished product’s styling. Some of the car’s most intricate layout capabilities – this kind of as its vented front bumper and aggressive rear diffuser – remain masked but, what is distinct is that, like all RS-branded Audis, the new RS 3 will attribute a purposeful bodykit which sets it aside from its lesser-powered A3 siblings.

At the front, Audi has fitted a bolder bumper with broader intakes which, along with a pair of added vents on the trailing edge of the front wheel arches, really should enable to expel very hot air from the motor bay. The car’s facet skirts are also deeper than the normal A3’s – and, at the rear, there is a much larger wing, a new diffuser and a established of oversized oval exhaust suggestions.

The makeover will continue on inside of, with a pair of intensely bolstered sports activities seats, a sports activities steering wheel, aluminium pedals and a array of RS-specific displays for the car’s 10.1-inch infotainment procedure and “Virtual Cockpit” electronic instrument binnacle.

Like the eighth-technology Golf, the new Audi RS 3 will be based on the most up-to-date model of Volkswagen Group’s MQB underpinnings, albeit with a amount of performance upgrades. Present-day testing mules sport chassis upgrades like lowered suspension and drilled brake discs with much larger calipers – all of which really should uncover their way onto the creation design.

Audi RS 3: motor and drivetrain

As the new RS 3 will be based on the very same platform as the outgoing design, Audi really should also retain the latest car’s turbocharged two.five-litre 5-cylinder petrol motor – which is however employed in the latest Audi RS Q3. On the other hand, the unit’s power and torque figures will boost to all around 415bhp and 500Nm (over the engine’s common output of 395bhp and 480Nm), in an hard work to keep the RS 3 aggressive with the 415bhp Mercedes-AMG A 45 S.

Electric power will be despatched by means of a dual-clutch automatic transmission to a quattro all-wheel-generate procedure. Like the outgoing design, the new RS 3’s chassis and drivetrain will be supported by an arsenal of performance-facing technological know-how, this kind of as adjustable dampers, a torque vectoring procedure and an adaptive electronic power steering setup.

Audi RS 3: pricing and launch date

Audi is but to formally announce the RS 3’s on-sale date, but we hope it’ll access United kingdom showrooms all around November 2021 immediately after a September unveil, with charges beginning from all around £50,000. This would make the RS 3 around £11,000 a lot more high-priced than its mid-array underling, the 306bhp Audi S3, which is priced from £38,465.

Are you looking forward to seeing the new Audi RS 3? Let us know in the feedback portion below…