Audi's 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo motor will find its way into a sporty version of the new Q3 crossover SUV thingummy, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has revealed.
Speaking at a press presentation of the new SUV in Zurich, Audi's top man confirmed that there will be a sporty version of the Q3 (at least that's what German car mag Auto Motorund Sport is reporting), but not until autumn 2012 at the earliest.
The top-end Q3 will get a 300bhp version of the five-pot motor, which has found its way into applications as diverse as the TT RS, the VW Golf24 endurance racer and the Quattro, but what is not clear is exactly how it will be badged.
An 'S' moniker seems quite likely, but the fast Q3 almost certainly won't get an 'RS' badge. Audi's tech boss Stephan Reil last year ruled out RS models for the Q5 and Q7, as Audi's RS cars should remain the "maximum expression of performance and driving dynamics", so the chances of an RS-badged Q3 turning up seem vanishingly small.
Still, a 300hp five-pot Q3 can't be too bad a thing, no matter what label it wears. We know that a car with the four-ringed badge and 'crossover' SUV status is quite likely to irritate a large cross-section of the PH populace, but at least those school-run mums won't hold you up quite so much...