Here is a spy pic from VW Group testing over at the Nurburgring circuit, this time of a chassis test mule for an Audi RS3 dressed in an attention-grabbing orange.

Differentiating this model from the current Audi A3 range are the larger air intakes on the modified front bumper, notes our spy photographer. The rest of it looks like an S3 Sportback body.

What lies beneath that bonnet, though, is the real question. We've previously reported on the statement by an Audi dealer in Cape Town, South Africa who claimed that the Ingolstadt-based automaker will be fitting the RS3 with the same 2.5 liter, 5-cylinder turbocharged engine as in the TT RS model. That engine produces 340 PS (250 kW) and 450 Nm of torque.

With competitors such as the Golf R (270 PS, 199 kW), Ford Focus RS (305 PS, 224 kW) and, of course, the BMW 135i that packs 306 PS (225 kW) into the compact 1-Series, Audi may just want to completely outdo the competition by offering an RS3 with more power and an all-wheel drive system - its storied Quattro technology.

The Audi RS3 was no-show in Frankfurt after various reports. Hopefully, it will make its debut at the Paris motor show in September.

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