Before you get all excited about the possibility of an Audi A1 with supercar gusto, note that this is just a once-off concept, unveiled today at the Wörthersee show in Germany.
That's not to say that Audi isn't working on an all-wheel drive S1 to terrorise the hot hatch brigade, but it certainly won't be anything near as aggro as the A1 clubsport quattro concept you see here, which was designed to test the very limits of vehicle dynamics.
For starters, they've installed a heavily modified version of the RS 3's 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbopetrol engine beneath its short, stubby bonnet.
With the turbo, intercooler, admission tract and exhaust all beefed up to the extreme, outputs shoot up from 250kW to 370kW and from 450Nm of twisting force to 660Nm.
Despite all the heavy running gear, engineers have managed to keep the weight down to just 1390kg, making it slightly lighter than an Audi S3 and, according to Audi, capable of screeching from 0 - 100km/h in 3.7 seconds and from 80 - 120km/h in 2.4 seconds, while the top speed is (surprise, surprise) limited to 250km/h.
The engine's urge makes its way to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive. A coilover suspension with adjustable compression and rebound damping aims to keep things tidy in the corners and carbon fibre-ceramic discs up front and large steel units behind bring the little critter to a stop.
This concept's also got the show to match the go, with 'turbine-shaped' 19-inch alloy wheels, gigantic front air intakes, a Glacier White matt paint finish, high-gloss black carbon roof, air outlets in the rear fenders and a massive aerodynamic roof spoiler all in place to ensure that you'll never mistake this for an ordinary A1.
Some of the smaller details on this concept, such as the decals and pearl-effect shoulders, will soon make it into the production A1's accessories catalogue.
The interior looks the racy part too - front occupants are greeted by a set of lightweight bucket seats from the R8 GT and a bare dashboard stripped of the infotainment system and other 'clutter'. The rear seats are also gone, in their place a large crossbar and storage for racing helmets - this car was, after all, designed as a road car for the race track.