German luxury carmaker, Audi, is displaying the new RS 4 at this year’s Melbourne International Motor Show.

The hero of the A4 range is Audi’s all-new RS4 supercar, which is displayed alongside the superlative new Audi S8 sports luxury limousine.

While the Audi S8, due for local launch around November 2006, is a clear demonstration of the brand’s ability to cleverly combine supreme luxury with bullish performance thanks to the DNA of it’s Lamborghini-bred V10 5.2 FSI engine, the smaller RS4 is no slouch as the top-of-the-range model in the A4 series.

New from the ground up, the Audi RS 4 will be officially launched in Australia in April 2006 however orders for this athletic sedan are steadily flowing in, even before test drives are possible.

Pricing is expected to be around $170,000.

Over 30 orders have already been placed for the RS 4 sedan in Australia, although the car is yet to go officially on-sale. Half of these orders are from Victorian customers.

Remarkable not only for its awe-inspiring capabilities but also for its saloon body shell – a first for this model - the new Audi RS 4 combines the latest high-performance technologies offered by quattro GmbH, in a luxury, thoroughbred saloon design that is perfectly suited to day-to-day driving.

Numerous technical achievements – many of which hail from motorsport – give the new Audi RS 4 unique class and character.

The first ever B-segment RS saloon is the epitome of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’, featuring a high speed engine concept now being introduced for the first time in a production Audi, innovative FSI technology, as well as the latest generation of quattro drive with asymmetric/dynamic distribution of torque.

Developing a maximum output of 420 bhp, the 4.2-litre V8 engine in the new RS 4 revs up to a speed of 8,250 rpm and exceeds the magical barrier of 100 bhp per litre – a feature that is truly outstanding in a production saloon.

Maximum torque of 430 Nm comes at 5,500 rpm in this very compact engine, with 90 per cent of the engine’s torque consistently available from 2,250 – 7,600 rpm. The result is excellent muscle and pulling force at all times, enabling the driver whenever he/she wishes to drive in truly relaxed style without frequent gear changes.

The RS 4 features racing technology in civilian clothes. While many of its features look similar to the new Audi A4, the RS 4 is far more than just a “fast” derivative of Audi’s highly successful midrange saloon.

The single-frame radiator grille, the rear section with the distinctly horizontal orientation of the car’s lines, and the side surfaces with the distinct shoulder line all prove that the RS 4 is a member of the A4 family. However, the radiator grille in diamond look, the additional air intake scoops in the front section, massive twin-exhaust pipes, suspension that is lowered by 30 mm, a wider front and rear track as well as the wheels developed specifically for the RS 4, clearly set the car aside from a “normal” Audi A4.

Inside, the RS 4 combines the functionality of a sports car with the highest level of luxury. The dominating materials are leather, aluminium, and carbon. However, the RS 4 is not just a car to be admired for its looks, at the same time it comes with all the additional qualities of a genuine sports car.

The engine of the Audi RS 4 is started simply by pressing the starter button, housed conveniently in the centre console right next to the driver. Pressing the sports button in the steering wheel, in turn, the driver is able to modify the gas pedal control map, giving the engine even sharper and more direct response.

Audi has chosen its trendsetting and groundbreaking FSI technology for the RS 4 saloon, direct petrol injection ensuring even more effective combustion of the fuel/air mixture and, as a result, an even better power yield. This is matched by the highly responsive development of power, allowing the RS 4 to accelerate to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, reaching 200 km/h in 16.6 seconds.

The challenge, of course, was to get all of this power onto the road in perfect style and with optimum handling. And for no less than 25 years, Audi’s answer to all the particular requirements in this respect has been that magical name “quattro”.

Now the latest generation of Audi’s permanent four-wheel drive featured for the first time in the RS 4 offers asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution and a self-locking Torsen centre differential, making a significant contribution in enabling the RS 4 with its sports suspension to enter new dimensions in driving dynamics.

The brakes also enter new dimensions, an 18-inch brake system ensuring optimum stopping power. The cross-drilled, inner-vented brake discs at the front measure 365 millimetres in diameter, as opposed to 324-millimetre brake discs at the rear. Flow-optimised ventilation geometry incorporating Naca jets on the underfloor of the car ensures first-class cooling of the brakes under all conditions. As a result, brake fading is significantly reduced even under extreme loads, for example on the race track.

The new Audi RS 4 of course features a host of new technologies, myriad design modifications tailored to suit such a thoroughbred sportscar and the very highest level of equipment and safety, as you’d expect from Audi.