The Audi A2 looks like it is finally getting a successor 20 years after the groundbreaking original went out of production.
Sporting styling that seems to mix the front end of a Volkswagen ID.3 with the rear of the original A2, the new Audi is set to become the brand’s cheapest EV when it’s unveiled, which could happen as soon as 2026.
Rumours indicate the new car will replace both the A1 hatch and Q2 SUV, meaning it will undercut the Q4 e-tron which starts at €46,000 (A$82,000) in Germany.
It’s unclear what name the new EV will wear, but Q2 e-tron seems possible, and A2 e-tron should be in contention too, if Audi can bring itself to dust off the revered nameplate.
The tall hatch shape, A-pillars that start near the front axle line, and the presence of a front quarter light suggest the Audi has a heavy dose of ID.3 DNA.
From what we can see, though, the ID.3 and the new Audi don’t share any exterior body panels. The Audi has a split headlight treatment up front, and look as though it features more prominent wheel arches.
Interestingly, Audi has fitted subtle door handle tabs at the base of the window line, similar to the ones used on the Ford Mustang Mach-E, for both the front and rear doors.
Out the back, the new Audi has a hunchback that recalls the original A2, including a rear windscreen that’s bisected by spoiler.
While the A2 was a darling of critics and has become a cult classic, it never sold in the numbers Audi hoped it would, with around 176,000 sold during its six year production run.
Former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn said “buyers never really fell in love with the narrow and tall design”, while the bespoke aluminium spaceframe meant the A2 couldn’t be priced “sufficiently aggressively”.
The new Audi will have a traditional steel monocoque, and under the skin it could be one of the first vehicles to make use of the MEB+ platform. An extensive update of the existing MEB architecture, MEB+ supports cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
That means it will weigh significantly more than the original A2, which tipped the scales at around 900kg, and was powered by a small selection of naturally-aspirated petrol and turbo-diesel engines paired with either a manual or automated manual transmission.