As Audi begins to take orders for the new A1 Quattro before it arrives in select markets in Europe this March, the German automaker released the first video footage of the four-wheel drive hot hatch in action.

Only 333 units of the A1 Quattro will be produced - all in left-hand drive, with 19 of those heading to the United Kingdom with an on-the-road price of £41,020.

There's good news and bad news for UK buyers enticed by the new Audi A1 Quattro hot hatchback.

Starting with the good news, the limited production model will be offered for sale in Britain with the company taking orders in March. And now for the bad news. For one, only 19 out of a total of 333 examples worldwide will be imported to the UK, all of which are left-hand-drive.

Then there's the steep price that comes to £41,020 (equal to US$64,600 or €49,500), which makes it £1,000+ more expensive than 340PS (335bhp) RS3 Sportback.

Audi has officially presented the meanest and baddest production version of its A1 series yet, aptly called the A1 Quattro. Both its name and styling details such as the white colored alloy wheels clearly draw on Audi's rallying heritage.

The first ever quattro version of Audi's premium supermini, which was previously thought to be named RS 1, will be produced in a limited run of just 333 units with sales to start in the second half of 2012.

Powering Ingolstadt's hot hatch is a tuned 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection and turbocharging technologies that produces 256HP at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 350 Nm (258.2 lb-ft) continuously available between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm.

The 2.0 TFSI is couple to a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi's quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. Audi says the A1 quattro sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.7 seconds and has a top speed of 245km/h (152mph), while it consumes on average less than 8.5 lt/100km (27.7 US mpg).

The countdown for one of the most important and publicized football matches of the year, the first El Clásico of the season between Real Madrid and Barcelona, has begun. On Saturday, December 10, the two Spanish football teams will face each other for the 216th time (including UEFA, Super Cup and Copa del Rey matches).

But before we see the two teams on the field, Audi's marketing time wanted to give fans an automotive perspective of the match with a special spot titled "La pasión vuelve a dejar huella".

The video shows two Audi A1 hatchbacks dressed in the colors and liveries of Real Madrid and Barcelona battling it off on the tarmac. You can watch the duel in the video after the break.

The star attraction at Audi's booth in Tokyo is the new Audi A1 Sportback, which will be rolling into showrooms across the world – but not in the U.S.- in early 2012.

The more practical, five-door version of the A1 has the same length as the three door model at 3.95 meters (12.96 ft) but is several millimeters taller and wider thus offering a little more space in the rear seats – though don't expect any wonders.. In addition, buyers can order the Sportback with either a four- or five-seat layout at no extra cost.

Tagging along with the new A1 Sportback five-door hatchback at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show booth, is a one-off A1 SAMURAI BLUE special dedicated to the Japanese national soccer team.

The A1 special is based on the three-door model with the 122HP 1.4 TFSI petrol engine and features the team's traditional blue and white colors accentuated by the red of the Japanese flag. It rides on unique 18-inch wheels painted in red.

Just days after Audi pulled the wraps off its new five-door premium supermini named the A1 Sportback, and the Ingolstadt-based automaker came out with full pricing on the UK market model.

On-the-road prices will start from £13,980 and top out at £21,270, which represent a £560 premium model-for-model over three-door A1. First deliveries will begin in the spring of 2012.

After an unplanned leak earlier today, Audi finally got around to releasing official data along with more than sixty pictures and the first video of the A1 Sportback, which is more practical, five-door version of the German firm's premium supermini.

The connection with its three-door sibling can be seen in the styling, though Audi's designers did manage to add 6mm in both width and height to improve interior space. The five-door model's length (3.95mm) and wheelbase of 2.47m are identical to the three-door version.

The A1 Sportback comes standard with four seats, but Audi does offer a fifth seat on request at no extra charge. According to the German company, headroom and shoulder room have each been increased by around one centimeter (0.39 in) over the three-door model.

It was only a matter of time before Audi began expanding the range of its A1 premium supermini starting with a more practical five-door model - let's not forget that the German carmaker had teased the five-door body style with the 2008 Paris Motor Show A1 Sportback Concept.

And now we can show it to you in production form for the very first time thanks to an unceremonious online unveiling, courtesy of Russian website Cars.ru.

According to the author of the article, the exterior dimensions of the Sportback remain almost the same compared to the three-door model at 3.95m long, 1.42m tall and 1.75m wide with a wheelbase of 2.47m.

The exterior styling is what you would expect it to be: an A1 with five doors – nothing special here other than that the Sportback will be available with contrasting roof colors. The same goes for the interior, the only difference being that it is now easier to access the rear seats.

Audi is adding two new models, the Black Edition and the Contrast Edition, plus a more powerful 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine that complements the existing 1.6-litre TDI unit to the British lineup of its A1 premium supermini.

The first new specification is the A1 Black Edition that is offered exclusively with 185PS 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine or the newly introduced 143PS 2.0-litre TDI.

The first examples of Audi's A1 e-tron gasoline-electric hybrid project car hit the streets of Munich today as the German company in cooperation with E.ON and the public utility Stadtwerke Munchen and Technise Universitat Muncher initiated the trial program.

Audi has provided a fleet of 20 extended-range A1 e-tron electric vehicles, while E.ON and SWM have installed charging infrastructure both within the city limits and in surrounding areas.

Following the launch of a full performance and styling package for the Audi A1, Germany's Senner Tuning is now offering a standalone set for the premium supermini fitted with the factory S-Line kit.

The tuner's package comprises of a new rear apron made out of glass-fiber-reinforced polymeric material FGPC and new 90-mm tailpipes on either side instead of the twin outlets on the left side of the bumper.

Audi's Quattro GmbH sports car division has its work cut out lately. Apart from the RS5 Convertible, the RS4 Avant and rumored RS7, the company's engineers are also developing the RS1 based on the A1 premium supermini.

Captured here by our crafty spy photographers while testing in and around the Nürburgring race circuit, the prototype sports typical RS-styling traits such as the prominent front bumper air vents, a large rear wing and a rear diffuser with space for two bulbous tail pipes.

Less than a week after publishing the preview renderings of its Frankfurt Motor Show-bound A2 Concept, Audi today issued the first (computer-enhanced) photos of its pure-electric hatchback that will inspire a production version scheduled to go on sale within the next two years.

The new study comes six years after Audi terminated the original A2, which was the first high-volume production, aluminum-bodied car. It’s conceptual successor does away with the costly aluminum build but adds an electric powertrain to the mix.

These past few years, Audi and the German premium automakers in general, have set out to fill every possible niche consumers may or may not think they need, from luxurious superminis to wild supercars. And they are far from done.

At the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt auto show, Audi will lift the covers off a new pure-electric concept study that revives the name of long gone A2.

The original model was a small MPV built from 1999 to 2005 that was way ahead of its time in several ways, but what made it truly unique was that it was manufactured entirely out of aluminum.

After two concepts and an insufferable amount of teasing, the 2011 Audi A1 has officially arrived with its sights set squarely on the Mini Cooper.

Inspired by the Metroproject Quattro from 2007, the all-new A1 is a faithful recreation of its conceptual predecessor, complete with a squat stance, short overhangs and four customizable colors for the roof arches. With a profile reminiscent of a stretched and squashed TT, the A1 spans 155.5 inches long, 68.5 inches wide and 56 inches tall, with a 97.2-inch wheelbase. Ten exterior colors are available, along with front and rear LEDs and Xenon headlamps.
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