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Next-Gen Audi RS 3 Expected in a Few Years With All-Electric Power, A3 Will Be RWD

Even though the current A3 is only two years old, Audi is already planning its successor, which will ditch all powertrains powered by dead dinosaurs in a premiere.
Audi RS 3 8 photos
Photo: Audi
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Expected to launch in the United Kingdom in 2027, Autocar reports, the fifth generation A3 is understood to feature all-electric power. It will allegedly be built around the SSP (Scalable Systems Platform), an 800-volt architecture said to enable charging speeds of up to 270kW, with 10 minutes of charging giving it an 80-mile (almost 130-km) range.

The SSP apparently supports solid-state batteries, but the next-gen A3 will not get them. Base versions of the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, which are the body styles supposedly approved for production, will be rear-wheel drive, with a single electric motor driving them. Upper specs will feature a second motor at the front, which will unlock an all-wheel drive system.

Naturally, the range-topping RS 3 models will feature AWD, too, and should be quicker to 62 mph (100 kph) than their predecessors. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, rated at 394 bhp and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, lets it complete the sprint in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph) when ordered with the optional Dynamic Pack.

Thanks to clever packaging, the upcoming A3 and RS 3 will be more spacious inside. They will also get sportier looks on the outside, with shorter front and rear overhangs, the quoted outlet claims. The switch to battery-electric power will make the next-gen RS 3 (e-tron?) the brand’s most affordable zero-emission performance vehicle and will inevitably force its rivals from BMW and Mercedes-AMG to follow a similar route.

But do you think that it is a good move, and more importantly, would you spend your hard-earned money on it, or would you prefer the current one, with its previous-gen supercar-like performance and that wonderful five-banger under the hood?
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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