Audi S1 faces the axe

Rumour has it that Audi will retire the Audi S1, the top performance rocker of its smallest A1 range; this was purportedly said by Audi head of Audi product communications Peter Oberndorfer.

He is said to have listed high cost and difficulty encountered with the previous S1 production as hurdles to the possibility of going that route once more. He also mentioned the company’s current concentration in other areas of development, such as electrification and self-driving technology, which meant it was now even more difficult to justify a model like the S1.

“It was quite an investment. It was a great car, I had one in my house, but nowadays we have to focus more and more and it’s getting more and more difficult,” he said of the S1.

Oberndorfer added that the new A1’s range-topping powertrain, which it shares with the current Polo GTI, already offers 147kW. And since both A1 and Polo are built on the same version of Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, and despite lacking AWD Quattro underpinnings, this front-wheel-drive car could be viewed as the performer in the range. The previous S1 produced 172kW.

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