Rumors: Spy Shots—Audi S1 Sportback

The spy photographers over at Eurocarblog recently caught this, an Audi S1 prototype out on a winter testing run in Sweden. When it arrives, the S1 should be sporting a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and make something like 240 horsepower. Interestingly, Audi gave this car the revered “S” badge on its backside, yet it is the limited edition, 256 horsepower Audi A1 Quattro (not the standard A1) that is the real barnstormer from this branch of the Audi family tree.

There isn’t a lot going on visually with this S1 prototype to set it apart from the normal A1, except for the quad exhaust tips out back. Audi will likely give the S1 the requisite sporting look before it hits the road. Rumors are also aloft regarding a potential RS model of the A1, fittingly called the RS1. Images uncovered at a European trademark office show a vehicle wearing an aggressive bodykit and unique wheels that could be the RS1, though it is still only speculation at this point. That car may arrive with some version of the turbocharged five-cylinder engine from the TTRS under its hood.

Little is known about how much the S1 will cost or when it may arrive on our shores, so stay tuned for more.