RS 3 to be Audi Sport best-seller

Australia's first Audi RS 3 will be a game-changer for the German importer Down Under, where the 270kW all-wheel drive hyper-hatch is expected to account for at least half of all RS sales.

But Audi Australia says customers won't have to wait eons for the car, in contrast to the supply issues that plagued its arch-rival from Mercedes-Benz, the A 45 AMG, when it was first launched here in late 2013.

Although Audi Australia won't talk sales numbers, managing director Andrew Doyle reckons the RS 3 will propel the brand's RS sales into the stratosphere when it arrives here in October, priced from $78,900.

That will make it the most affordable RS model from Audi yet, but still $3100 more expensive than the A 45 ($75,800).

"We have 7 [RS] models now. We have an all-new RS 3 and R8 coming -- they'll definitely lift overall volume. On a global basis we will be ranked number three in terms of our sales projections for 2016," Doyle told motoring.com.au at the Audi Sport brand launch this week.

The company is currently inside the global top 10 for sales of high-performance RS and R8 models.

The RS 3 is a key proponent of the new Audi Sport sub-brand, which has just launched in Australia, and has the potential to account for the vast majority of RS sales.

"The percent of overall sales is important and we have a forecast we believe we'll achieve with Audi Sport models overall, and that'll be strongly driven by the Audi RS 3 next year."

Asked if the RS 3 could account for at least half of RS sales going forward, Doyle responded: "Yes. I would suggest it could."

"We see that already with RS Q3 in terms of price point," he observed, speculating that the RS 3 will be even more popular.

But if this does turn out to be the case, customers may have to get in line and be forced to wait months for the vehicle, as was the case with the A 45.

Doyle is confident this won't be a major issue for the hard-charging 2.5-litre turbo hatchback.

"Because we are a pilot market for Audi Sport – we're one of if not the first market in the world to launch Audi Sport – there's a real focus on RS models in Australia.

"We have some strength when asking for production. We'll be well looked after with RS 3 -- that's good news," he revealed.

Doyle said the RS 3 will build on the sales success of the S3, which unlike the RS 3 Sportback is also available as a sedan.

"RS3 Sportback arrives in October and comes on the back of the highly
successful S3, which has had unprecedented demand when it arrived here
in 2013," he said.

The RS 3 runs a sonorous turbo five-cylinder turbo-petrol engine matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto. The 270kW/465Nm turbo-five takes the RS 3 to 100km/h in just 4.3 seconds – more than half a second quicker than an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

In our first test of the car in Italy, the Audi RS 3 scored a very credible 86/100.

Despite a top speed of 250km/h, which can be upped 280km/h with a performance pack option, the car can achieve claimed fuel consumption of 8.1L/100km with the help of engine idle-stop technology.