RS3

Make
Audi
Segment
Sedan

With Mercedes enjoying phenomenal success from the CLA45 AMG it was always going to be a matter of when – not if – Audi would introduce the next-gen RS3. Speaking to Car Advice at the launch of the S3 Cabrio, Audi's head of convertible development revealed "the decision has been made." Mario Weiland added "the last one was so successful I think we had to do it," while Audi S and RS chief designer Frank Gruer said: "The RS3 was a big success, we sold a lot more than we ever thought we would."

The model's existing 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder unit will remain underhood as Gruer says "people would miss the sound of the five-cylinder [which] is as important as the power." The last set of spy shots of the RS3 showed the hot hatch wearing massive brakes while undergoing testing at the Nurburgring. The new model should therefore be ready by the Paris Motor Show at the start of October, where it will be joined by the new Q7.