The S3 Sportback will happen in Europe say our sources, though an American S3 is off the table now we hear. "The numbers just didn't work," said one Audi executive during a conversation on the subject. "We've got other things we're working on now... like RS5."
Audi's already been on the move to reduce complexity to dealers. As we understand it, that means dealerships are pressuring Audi for a simpler line with less drivetrain options so that a customer is more likely to find the car they're looking for on the lot. Under these pressures, S3 just didn't make sense. We did report a few weeks back that a standard 2.0T with DSG would be available with quattro next model year and it now sounds as if this will be the closest
A3 consumers will get to an S3.