New Audi A3 e-tron confirmed: low-cost EV to get retro A2 looks
The design of Audi’s latest EV appears to have been inspired by the unconventional Audi A2 hatchback
Audi has confirmed it will finally unveil its entry-level electric car in 2026 – three years after we first learned of the brand’s plan to launch a new EV to sit below its top-selling Q4 e-tron SUV.
The news comes not long after we received the first images of the mysterious EV out and about testing. Based on the silhouette of this hatchback-cum-coupe-SUV, it’s hard not to see this as a reboot of the famous oddball Audi A2 hatchback from the early 2000s.
It’s even possible the mysterious EV could be called the Audi A2 e-tron as another nod to the past, despite being a full class size bigger than the original A2.
However, it seems more likely the car will be called the A3 e-tron, because it’ll be about the same size as the recently refreshed Audi A3 hatchback, which is available from just over £30,000 through the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
Furthermore, customers are far more familiar with the A3 name, and Audi recently decided to ditch its naming strategy that required electric cars to use even numbers and ICE-powered cars to use odd numbers.
Either way, the entry-level EV is one of three models Audi has confirmed it will be unveiling next year. First to make its debut will be the next-generation Q7 luxury SUV, followed shortly by a brand-new, even larger SUV called the Q9. The as-yet-unnamed EV probably won’t arrive until nearer the end of the year.
What will the Audi A3 e-tron look like?
The images we’ve received of Audi’s entry-level EV reveal a shape that’s not dissimilar to the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born. But look closer and they reveal this model will have a less upright, more futuristic shape, appearing to incorporate a few nods to the ultra-lightweight A2 first introduced in the noughties.
The most obvious reference to the A2 is the car’s cab-forward silhouette, with a steeply angled windscreen and short bonnet helping with aerodynamics. Compared with the ID.3, the Audi’s roofline is lower and sleeker, and arcs more aggressively at the rear to create a tail that looks directly related to the A2’s.
The new EV even looks likely to share the A2’s two-piece glass design for the tailgate, hinged up on the roof to create a much larger opening. There’s other evidence to suggest an A2 connection, too, including round flared wheelarches and a small wing attached to the bootlid.
Where the new EV car will feature more in common with current Audis is the front-end styling. This includes the use of thin upper daytime running lights with smaller main beams mounted below. The prototype also features a Q4-like grille and rear lights – expect these to be substantially different when the real thing is revealed next year.
Unfortunately, this car is too far through its development process to adopt the new design language being evolved by new design chief Massimo Frascella, who was installed only 12 months ago. There might have been time for some small changes, however, as has been rumoured about the forthcoming Audi Q7.
Our exclusive images show how the new Audi A3 e-tron could look under all its camouflage. We based the design on the company’s 2019 AI:ME concept, which was a little shorter overall than the current A3. But those dimensions could easily be stretched to create a unique, bespoke EV shape, while not stealing too much of the Q4 e-tron’s SUV image, being between five and 10 centimetres shorter than that vehicle.
What range and performance will the new Audi A3 e-tron offer?
The new model is likely to use the MEB+ platform – an updated version of the MEB architecture that already underpins about a dozen EVs, including the Volkswagen ID.3, Skoda Elroq and Ford Capri.
Speaking with Auto Express earlier this year, Audi CEO Gernot Döllnerr said: “We will build an electric [C-segment] car here in Ingolstadt from next year.” Given that time frame, the A3 e-tron will need to be based on technologies already available within the VW group, rather than the new SSP architecture coming in 2027.
As a result, we’re expecting the new Audi model will likely share any technical upgrades with the reskinned ID.3 that’s due around the same time, and feature a combination of a rear-mounted e-motor and battery pack mounted underneath the floor.
We don’t know if there are any wholesale changes to the current battery technology on the cards. But we expect the new Audi will probably be available with some or all of the 58kWh, 77kWh and 79kWh battery options available in the current ID.3, with the largest unit likely to offer close to 400 miles of range.
How it fits into Audi’s wider plans
Detailed by Auto Express last year, Audi’s plan has been to extend its range only slightly downwards, forgoing successors to the A1 supermini and Q2 small crossover, but creating an indirect successor to the A3 family hatchback. That, in turn, could give the brand a cheaper entry point than the likes of Mercedes and BMW.
Audi CEO Döllner, who has also taken on the role of technical development chief, admits that his team has gone through a review of its future product plans in recent years, sharpening its focus on key markets such as China (where the company will soon launch a bespoke, locally made version of its new Q6 e-tron) and the United States. Döllner said that some vehicles had been pushed aside by the review, but insisted that the planned entry point has escaped the axe.
When asked directly if Audi had cut vehicles from its plans or simply delayed them, Döllner said, “We did both, really. We stretched the timeframe to give us a little bit more time for these 20 models. I’ve never seen something like this in my career so far. And we discussed some models that we deprioritised, and put emphasis on other ideas.”
Describing the new entry model directly, Döllner said, “It’s A-segment, so typically Volkswagen Golf and A3 size, or a little bit below, perhaps. But this is where we will focus. We won’t have a successor for the A1 and Q2 – certainly not a direct successor. But in confirming the model below the Q4, in the C-segment, that will be our entry car.”
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