Scott Keogh, head of Audi of America said in a New York interview with Automotive News that he “really, really” wants to bring the RS3—the speediest version of the A3 compact—to the USA and Canada.
Using a turbocharged five-cylinder engine, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive, the RS3 makes 367 hp and 343 lb-ft of torque, a serious step up from the 292 hp and 280 lb-ft available from the S3’s turbo four-cylinder. The RS3’s output makes it analogous to the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45; making it available here would get Audi into the burgeoning quick-and-upscale-compact game before the elevator makes it too far off the ground floor.
While Europe gets the RS3 as a hatchback, a North American version would more likely be based on the sedan bodystyle that current bears the A3 and S3 nameplates in North American Audi stores.
While Keogh says he’s keen to bring the RS3 here (we’re keen to get it!) and is “confident we’ll see that car in the market,” he added he wouldn’t go any further than that in terms of predicting the car’s arrival in Canadian and American showrooms.
2014 Audi A3 Sedan
January 2, 2014
