Audi remains commited to the budget segment exciting with the all-electric A3, despite key rivals, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, leaving the compact car market. A new report from Autocar has now exposed a rumor that the upcoming A3 lineup will let you choose either a rear-wheel or all-wheel drive setup and possibly offer more than 400 miles of range per full charge. But how about the range-topping RS3 model? Audi's best-selling performance car will ditch the beloved and unique five-cylinder engine for two electric motors - is there more to it than improved acceleration?

The fourth-generation A3 lineup debuted in 2020 in Europe and a year later in America as the 2022 model year. Since then, the compact luxury Audi has been trendy, especially in Europe, where small cars are still a thing. But it seems that the automaker is already planning for its bright future. While the compact car segment has started to vanish, Audi is optimistic about a more eco-friendly iteration with the fifth-generation A3.

Unlike the Q4 e-tron, which rides on the MEB platform, the A3 EV will ride on a new platform named SSP (Scalable Systems Platform), developed by VW. This skateboard-inspired platform will also underpin the upcoming Volkswagen ID.4 sedan. Marcus Duesmann, the CEO of Audi and the head of R&D at Volkswagen, has confirmed that “in the second half of this decade, we will introduce the SSP to form one strong mechatronic platform.”

The beefed-up A3 variants, the S3 and the RS3, will also be electrified. Sadly, we have to bid goodbye to the sweet-sounding 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five engine which powers the current RS3. In its current form, the 2.5-liter engine puts out a mighty 401 horses and 369 pound-feet of torque. However, with the promise of electrification, you can expect twin electric motors to churn about 450 horses and about 390 pound-feet of torque. And not to forget the insane kickdown of electric power, the upcoming RS3 e-tron could do 0-60 MPH in sub-3.6 seconds. Autocar suggested that the RS3 is quite a popular car in the UK, where 753 examples were sold in July. So with electrification, Audi might try to take over Tesla’s share mainly in Europe.

The upcoming RS3 e-tron will be the gateway to Audi’s electrified performance lineup, which includes both the RS5 and the RS7. The flagship e-tron GT saloon showcases how the rest of the RS-badged cars will perform with the heavy battery weight. However, unlike the e-tron GT, the RS3, and the other RS-badged models, will be underpinned by the SSP platform, which is being evolved to welcome solid-state batteries. Also, the EV platform will support a whopping 800-volt electric architecture, which is double the MEB’s standard. According to Autocar, the 270kW charging capacity will be enough to top up for 80 miles in about 10 minutes.

Yes, it is hard to say goodbye to the beloved RS3's 2.5-liter inline-five, but there is still time for you to consider one. By 2027, Audi will electrify its A3 model lineup, and performance-oriented cars will shortly follow.