Audi makes it official: A2 returning as A1 and Q2 replacement

Rumoured on and off as making a possible comeback, Audi has now officially confirmed the revival A2 as its incoming new entry-level model.

EV crossover

Set to make its world debut later this year, the A2’s return after a 21-year hiatus will, however, be different from the original that lasted from 1999 to 2005.

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Whereas the first generation had been motivated by petrol and diesel engines, the new A2 will adopt the e-tron suffix, thereby making it an EV.

At the same time, it will become a crossover instead of the radical all-aluminium five-door hatch it originally was

Goodbye A1 and Q2

Teased by a concept shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show 14-years ago, the A2 will simultaneously succeed the A1 and Q2 the Four Rings confirmed last year won’t live on for a second generation.

Back in 2022, then Audi boss, Markus Duesmann, hinted that both were living on borrowed time as the brand no longer wanted a presence in the lower premium segment.

“We have decided not to build the A1 anymore, and there will be no successor model from the Q2 either,” Duesmann told Germany’s Handelsblatt.

“We will limit our model range at the bottom and expand it at the top.”

Early last year, Ingolstadt’s current CEO, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told Britain’s Autocar that production of both will end in 2026.

Contradicting Duesmann’s claims about a segment exit, though, Döllner said “we will have models in the lower A-segment”.

He concluded by saying, “we will also see the car that will enter production next year in Ingolstadt, which will be our entry BEV [battery electric vehicle] in the A-segment”.

What to expect?

Likely to ride on the same MEB platform as the majority of parent company Volkswagen’s ID models, the single newly released teaser image shows the same aesthetic as the Q4 e-tron.

From the original, the sloping roof has been retained, as has the design of the tailgate and lip spoiler.

Just visible is the same headlight design as the new Q3 and Q5. No interior images were disclosed, though, expect the same design and layout as the latter pair.

“We’ve listened. Our customers want electric mobility that impresses in everyday life. The A2 e-tron is our promise to deliver exactly that,” Döllner said in a statement.

“We’re making entry into the electric Audi world easier and more relevant than ever”.

More later

Seemingly, production will take place at Audi’s Ingolstadt home plant, with sales likely to start towards the end of the year. Before then, though, expect more clearer details and images to emerge.

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