Rupert Stadler has confirmed Audi’s intentions to create an S1 variant of the A1.
“Sportiness is a core value for the Audi brand and we have some clear ideas [for the A1] in this direction,” Stadler said. He didn’t go into any details, but it’s quite clear from that statement that an S1 is on the way.
Autocar believes that the S1 will be powered by a 180 bhp variant of the 1.4L twincharger engine, connected to a seven-speed DSG gearbox. However, Audi engineers have said that the 2.0L TFSI engine can fit in the A1 sideways, meaning that the use of that is possible as well.
Source: Autocar
BMW should not name the sporty 1-series the M1, and neither should Audi call this the S1.
I didn’t actually realize the name similarity to the old S1 quattro until you brought that up. Maybe they won’t call it the S1. After all, nothing clear was said, just that they have sporting intentions for the A1.