Due to arrive in New Zealand in the first quarter of 2022, the Audi RS 3 Sportback is the sports car for every day – with its practicality and quattro drive ensuring drivers can access the best of Audi RS performance any time they sit behind the wheel, and in the widest range of conditions.
Combining exhilarating performance, athletic exterior design and motorsport-inspired interior, advanced driving technology, premium sporting luxury and more useability than the average sports car, the Audi RS 3 Sportback will land in New Zealand for $112,500*.
Equipped with 294kW and five-cylinders, the high-performance engine delivers rapid acceleration with an intoxicating soundtrack. The power unit now delivers 500Nm of torque and responds even faster. Visually, the RS 3 Sportback demonstrates its athletic prowess with a widened body, RS sports exhaust, and cockpit displays similar to those found in race cars.
“The RS 3 Sportback represents the entry point to the RS world and, thanks to its renowned powertrain and new torque splitter, the ultimate in performance in the compact market,” said Dean Sheed, General Manager, Audi New Zealand.
“New Zealand is the number one market in the world for Audi RS product, with Kiwis showing a great fondness for its useable, outstanding performance. The third generation RS 3 Sportback will be our most accomplished edition of this model – and I’m sure Kiwi performance fans are looking forward to its arrival.”
With its five-cylinder, high-performance engine, the Audi RS 3 Sportback is one-of-a-kind in this segment. The 2.5 TFSI has won the “International Engine of the Year” award nine times in a row. In the latest generation of the compact sports car, the engine is now more powerful than ever before. The new RS 3 Sportback sprints from zero to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds.
A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission puts the power to the road – with short shifting times and a sportier gear ratio spread. The engine’s unique 1-2-4-5-3 ignition sequence, and the incomparable sound make the driving experience an exhilarating one.
The new Audi RS 3 Sportback is the first Audi model that comes standard with a torque splitter. It replaces the rear axle differential and the previous multiple disc clutch package on the rear axle. Instead, an electronically controlled multiple disc clutch is used on each of the drive shafts. This ensures that the right amount of torque is optimally distributed along the rear axle. During more dynamic driving, the torque splitter increases the drive torque to the outer rear wheel with the higher wheel load, which significantly reduces the tendency to understeer.
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* Maximum Retail Price (MRP) – final sale price is subject to selected options and specifications
The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 19 locations in 12 countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm, Germany), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy), and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna/Italy).
In 2020, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.693 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 7,430 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 48,042 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2020 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €50.0 billion and an operating profit before special items of €2.7 billion. At present, 87,000 people work for the company all over the world, 60,000 of them in Germany. With new models, innovative mobility offerings and other attractive services, Audi is becoming a provider of sustainable, individual premium mobility.