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The Audi RS3 has been taken off sale in the UK due to high demand, as the firm aims to fulfil its existing bank of orders.
The RS3 has been on sale in its current, fourth-generation guise since late 2021. Audi has confirmed to Autocar that the model will return to the line-up but did not say when it might be available again to order.
Available initially in Sportback and saloon bodystyles, the RS3 commanded a price of £50,900 when it first went on sale.
Often sold in limited quantities, the model makes up a minuscule percentage of Audi sales in the UK. In 2021, Audi sold 91 RS3 Sportback and 40 RS3 saloon cars, out of a total of 22,746 A3-based sales.
The total of 131 is above sales of the Audi R8 (125) and Audi RS7 (110), but far behind the more popular Audi RS Q3 (807) and the Audi RS6 Avant (446).
However, the standard Audi A3 continues to perform well, with sales increasing by 12.2% worldwide last year. Sales of performance RS models hit 45,515 last year – a record figure for the German car maker, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.6%.
The hot hatch is renowned for its performance, producing 395bhp and 369lb ft from a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine. In both bodystyles, the model is capable of 0-62mph in 3.8sec and a top speed of 174mph.
It’s also the current Nürburgring lap record holder for the ‘compact’ class, setting a time of 7min 40.75sec. Driven by Audi development driver Frank Stippler, the RS3 outpaced the previous record holder, the Renault Mégane RS Trophy R, by 0.25sec.
It was fitted with ceramic brakes, adaptive suspension and semi-slick tyres, which are optional on models sold outside of the UK.
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