Audi S1 targets Mini Cooper S

Audi will enter the junior hot hatch ranks with the new 180bhp S1 in 2011, taking on the Mini Cooper S and Alfa Romeo’s new Mito Cloverleaf.

The S1 is scheduled to make its world debut at next year’s Paris motor show. UK sales will start six months later, with prices expected to kick off at £19,000.

Audi S1 and Audi A1 cabriolet Autocar renderings

The A1 and S1 were first previewed over two years ago, when Audi showed the Metro Project Concept, since renamed A1. The production S1 will feature the newer interpretation of Audi’s single-frame grille, as seen on the five-door Sportback concept.

The S1 will also get deeper bumpers, a lower ride height, chrome-coloured mirror housings and 17-inch wheels.

A sister car to Volkswagen’s upcoming Polo GTI — alongside which the new Audi is currently being developed — the S1 uses a tuned version of the VW Group’s versatile turbocharged 1.4-litre, direct-injection four-cylinder engine.

Already used by Audi in the entry-level 122bhp A3, the S1’s engine will get increased boost pressure and other detailed changes to the induction system to increase power to 180bhp and torque to 184lb ft.

However, the S3 will do without four-wheel drive, making it the first S model not to use a quattro drivetrain. Instead, the S1 will be front-wheel drive, using a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with steering wheel paddle shifters.

Although the S1 is still more than year away from going on sale, Audi development boss Michael Dick has already indicated that the car’s performance will match that of rivals such as the Mini Cooper S and Mito Cloverleaf. He put the S1’s 0-62mph time at under seven seconds and said its top speed will be beyond 140mph.

More than straight-line performance, however, it is the dynamic properties that will set the new car apart, Dick said.

“A great deal of attention has been paid to the tuning of the front end, particularly the properties of the bushes and the electric steering rack. We’ve found an excellent combination of steering feel and overall grip,” he said.

Before the S1 arrives in British showrooms, Audi will establish the rest of the A1 range. It is hoping to emulate the success of Mini, which has enjoyed a worldwide sales climb to over 200,000 units a year (more than a fifth of Audi’s total 2009 sales volume) in recent years. Audi boss Rupert Stadler confirmed that UK sales will begin next September, after the car’s launch at the Geneva show in March.

The smallest and most affordable Audi since the demise of the A2 in 2007 is based on VW’s PQ25 platform — as used in the VW Polo, Seat Ibiza and Skoda Fabia.