A press release from Audi's PR office in Britain has revealed that the high-performance A1 quattro will go on sale to the poms, contrary to expectations.

Audi made it clear from the start that the A1 quattro, an 'S1' in all but name, would not be built in right-hand drive — effectively ruling it out for Australian consumers.

But left-hand drive cars can be registered in right-hand drive Britain, due to the island nation being part of the European Union. According to the press release just 19 units will be sold there, of the 333-unit allocation for global markets. Audi dealers in the UK will commence taking orders from March and buyers will presumably need a substantial deposit for the car, which will set them back £41,020 in total.

As we mentioned in our earlier report, the A1 quattro is powered by a 2.0-litre TFSI four-cylinder engine, developing 188kW of power and 350Nm of torque. It's more than enough to push the little car up to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds from a standing start. Estimated top speed is 245km/h, but driven gently it will use as little as 8.5L/100km in combined-cycle fuel consumption testing.

Drive is taken from the engine to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and a permanent all-wheel drive transfer system, comprising a rear-mounted multi-plate clutch in an oil bath, much like a Haldex system. The whole shebang is controlled electronically and complemented by a selective differential lock.

Michael Taylor, motoring.com.au correspondent in Europe, has driven the A1 quattro and we will bring you his review shortly. In the meantime watch Michael trying his hand at the gentle art of snow drifting.

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