Audi is set to launch a hardcore S1 version of the new A1, company boss Rupert Stadler has admitted.

“Sportiness is a core value for the Audi brand and we have some clear ideas [for the A1] in this direction,” Stadler said. However, he refused to expand on the exact form the range-topping A1 might take.

Earlier this year Autocar revealed that the S1 is likely to be powered by a 180bhp version of the 1.4-litre twincharger engine, which will be mated to a seven-speed DSG ’box.

However, Audi engineers at the A1 launch admitted that the company’s 2.0-litre TFSI engines will also fit sideways in the A1’s engine bay.

Click the title for the source