New Audis target SA love of hot cars

Published Oct 16, 2013

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Johannesburg Motor Show - Audi has come out with guns blazing at Nasrec, aiming directly at South Africa's love of performance cars with two new RS models - starting with the RS7 Sportback.

AS its name suggests, this five-door estate combines elegant coupé styling with serious muscle - in this case a four-litre turbopetrol V8 FSI for which Audi quotes 412kW and 700Nm, enough to launch the RS7 from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds.

Also making its SA debut is Audi's first high-performance A-segment SUV, the RS Q3, boasting the company's iconic turbocharged five-cylinder engine, that's been awarded “International Engine of the Year” in its category for four consecutive years and is also found in the Audi TT RS and the previous-generation Audi RS 3 Sportback.

In this application it's tuned for 228kW and 420Nm, pushing this compact SUV from 0 to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds.

The RS 7 Sportback and the RS Q3 will be released in South Africa in January 2014.

Then there's also Audi's highly-hyped new hot hatch - the S3 Sportback, armed with 206kW and 380Nm from a two-litre TFSI turbopetrol four bristling with new technologies ranging from dual fuel-injection through a new valvelift system to innovative thermal management - and it'll be released in South Africa in time for Christmas.

Also making its SA debut is the A3 Sedan - the third model in the A3 line-up - which Audi describes as a premium compact sedan combining sporty styling, lightweight design and impressive handling.

It's due for local launch in January 2014, but visitors to Nasrec won't have to wait that long.

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