New Audi electric hatch breaks cover with A2 influence
Audi has begun testing its new entry level model that is set to indirectly replace the A1 and Q2 when they are retired next year.
The EV will be the smallest car Audi offers and is set to be positioned as an electric counterpart to both the A3 hatch and Q3 crossover.
Seen by Autocar photographers for the first time, the new EV looks like a smaller version of the Q4 E-tron it will sit underneath but with clear influence from the bubble-like A2 that went out of production in 2005.
Because the new model will not serve as a direct replacement for any models it could wear a new badge – and a resurrection of the long-dormant A2 moniker is one possibility.
Speaking previously to Autocar, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner would not confirm any future naming plans but said it was “thinkable” that the brand could redeploy historic names.
While technical details are still under wraps, the new EV is expected to sit on parent Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform which underpins a raft of vehicles from the Volkswagen ID 3 hatch to the Q4 e-tron, Ford Capri and Cupra Tavascan.
Given its size and positioning (straddling the boundary between hatchback and crossover), it will most likely be twinned with the Skoda Elroq. That car is offered with batteries from 58kWh to 79kWh; in its most efficient form it can travel up to 360 miles on a single charge. The potent vRS puts out 335bhp.
Unlike the Skoda, Audi’s model will be a premium offering in the A-segment. Döllner previously said: “There are not many brands in the world, but I think Audi can have a true premium offer in the A-segment.”
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The decision to replace the A1 and Q2 cars with one is “a wider Audi move to simplify the model line-up”, Döllner said.
As such, the new EV will be the smallest car Audi will offer, confirmed Döllner, adding that smaller segments “will be utilised by other brands and the [VW] Group” – models such as the VW ID Polo, ID Cross, Cupra Raval, and Skoda Epiq.
This will allow Audi to “focus on a specific portfolio” that will bring “a more focused and a clearer view for for the customer”.
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