Audi TT-RS To Hit The United States

[AutoGuide.com]

Audi's craziest TT, the TT-RS will officially make it to the United States after an online campaign by Audi convinced the automaker to bring the 360-horsepower sports coupe to America.

Audi executives were initially skeptical of the sales potential of the TT-RS, but planned a limited run of just 250 cars for the Canadian market, where a strong economy and higher vehicle prices would allow Audi to turn a profit on the car. A subsequent petition by Audi showed 11,500 handraisers, as well as a series of positive reviews from American media led the company to go ahead with sales in both markets.

So far, we only know that the only TT-RS available will be the coupe variant, with specifications and pricing still under consideration. We look forward to the arrival of the TT-RS, and the chance to sample a 5-cylinder turbocharged Audi yet again. On the other hand, they will be pricey, and the number of potential buyers is likely a fraction of the 11,500 petition signers.

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Wishes granted: Audi TT RS is coming to America
Orange County Register
September 14th, 2010,

If you’ve been salivating over the fire-breathing Audi TT RS that buyers outside the U.S. can get, be jealous no more.

Audi on Tuesday confirmed that it will bring the 360-horsepower coupe to the United States, with arrival set for the third quarter of 2011.

The confirmation follows an online petition that the company launched on Facebook last month, in which it now says drew more than 11,500 signatures, “including many likely buyers,” Audi said.

The German sports-car maker said the move to bring the potent TT RS to the States “has been under consideration for several months.” Guess that Facebook tease didn’t arise out of boredom, then.

“With performance and agility rooted in Audi motorsports success, the TT RS is truly an emotional sports car,” Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, said in the announcement. “That emotion became abundantly clear as we explored interest across the country.”

The all-wheel-drive coupe is powered by a turbocharged five cylinder engine that, in addition to making the aforementioned 360 hp, churns out 332 lb.-ft. of torque. Audi says the car is good for a 0-60 mph blast of 4.6 seconds.

Great, now that it’s coming to the U.S., how much will you have to shell out to buy one? No big surprise, Audi is keeping mum for now. It’s current top-range TT, the TTS, starts around $47,000. If you’re a glass-half-full kinda person, you can at least bet that it will be less than the $150,000 R8 of “Iron Man” fame.

Earlier this year, Porsche also generated buzz — and potential orders — for its 918 Spyder hybrid after it wooed crowds at the Geneva auto show in March.

A few months later, Porsche gave the green light to the 918 after it attracted 2,000 non-binding submissions of interest — twice the number needed for the sports car that has an anticipated starting price of around $650,000.

Below are more photos of the curvaceous TT RS (click any to enlarge). Are you tempted?

http://auto.ocregister.com/2010/09/1...america/42052/