Audi’s lineup is expanding so quickly you’d think its cars were spawning new models by mitosis. In a few days at the Paris Motor Show we’ll be seeing the newest hot addition to the A1 range: the 185-horsepower 1.4 TSFI with thrust provided by a twin-charged four cylinder. That’s not the S1, it just has the S-Line package thrown on for racy looks. Next year, the S1 itself will step forward, with the Golf GTI’s turbocharged 220-hp engine sitting up front. It is a sure bet to shave serious time off the TSFI’s 6.9-second run from zero to 62 miles per hour.
After that comes the Audi RS3, using the same 340-hp, five-cylinder turbo from the TT RS. Sub five-second runs to 62 mph are in the offing, and its 250 kph (155 mph) top speed can be raised to 280 kph (174 mph) for a nominal fee. Then, at the Frankfurt Auto Show in the fall, the RS7 Sportback takes a bow. Powering the four-door fastback will be the 4.0-liter, 550-hp twin-turbo V8 that’ll be shared with the 2011 Bentley Continental GT. That would put it about 100 horses clear of the rumored output in the S7 we should see next week in Paris, and the V8 is said to be 20 percent more fuel efficient than the 5.0-liter V10 in the RS6.