About a month ago, German car manufacturer Audi unveiled their new concept for the Audi A1. During Audi’s annual celebration located at Wörthersee, they showcased 18 new vehicles, including the new R8 GT, several custom A1’s and the new A1 Clubsport Quattro Concept.
Specifically, the new Clubsport Quattro was one of the highlights. Originally the A1 was created as a supermini-class car, being launched in 2010 and designed to compete with the MINI. However, the original stock model only came equipped with a maximum 1.4 litre engine outputting 182 hp with a top speed of 227 km/h. The car was only available for purchase in Germany and the United Kingdom upon its release, but as 2011 falls into its prime, it will be released in the Americas.
With the original A1 only being launched as a front wheel drive vehicle, soon the yearning for Audi’s world renowned all wheel drive Quattro system was prevalent. Audi quickly recognized the desire for quattro and addressed it with their reveal of the Clubsport Quattro. Boasting an extensively tuned 2.5 litre turbo five engine, the beast of a hatchback outputs roughly just under 500 hp. This allows the monster of a car to reach, what Audi claims as, 100 km/h from standstill in an amazing 3.7 seconds. With a top speed of an electronically limited 250km/h the new A1 clubsport quattro is able to compete with the best of them.
Now, as Audi left this monstrous beast as simply a concept, it isn’t likely that they will release their production clubsport quattro packing the full 500 horses. More likely, the car will feature a extremely toned down version, perhaps still retaining the turbo. Hopefully, in the near future, consumers may expect the release of not only the clubsport quattro, but also the S1 or perhaps the RS1.
