New Audi A2 e-tron drops some camo to reveal retro design
Audi’s cutting-edge new BEV promises to channel the innovation of its iconic predecessor
We’ve got new images that reveal more details about the exciting new Audi A2 e-tron. This is one of the most hotly anticipated new models from the German brand in years, and also represents one of the first new models with significant input from new Audi design boss Massimo Fracella. If nothing else, it will now open up the Audi range with an affordable new electric car full of cutting-edge tech.
Evident in these new images is how much the new Audi A2 will draw on the original in terms of its general proportions and silhouette, but elsewhere the new model will be far more modern. The small square headlights will sit inside a traditional Audi single-frame grille, with a secondary set of upper lights housing the daytime running lights and indicators.
The body itself will be a curious mix of Audi’s new design language and the original A2. It has defined wheelarch flares and a strong shoulderline, paired with a sleek side profile thanks to small winglet door handles. The new car’s short nose and sleek windscreen angle will help with aerodynamics, creating a low co-efficient of drag that will boost range.
Compared with the Volkswagen ID.3, with which this car will share its fundamental underpinnings, 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 original A2’s. It even seems to share a two-piece glass design for the tailgate, hinged up on the roof to create a much larger opening.
Unfortunately, this car is too far through its development process to fully adopt the new design language previewed by the jaw-dropping Audi Concept-C, but it’s clear that the new Audi A2 will still align visually with future models.
Exhaustive Audi A2 development
Audi has previously released footage of its entry-level EV racking up the miles in testing, and having some fun drifting in the snow in Lapland.
Engineers have been busy fine-tuning the newcomer’s suspension and driver-assistance systems on the windy country roads of Bavaria, while evaluating the powertrain’s performance and thermal management in the bitter cold of northern Sweden.
They’ve also been spending plenty of time in the company’s wind tunnel, optimising the airflow which the car’s distinctive sloping roofline certainly will help with, plus noise and refinement at higher speeds.
The A2 e-tron is set to make its world debut in the autumn, and will revive the name and radical design of Audi’s innovative if rather polarising hatchback from the noughties.
It will, in effect, be the all-electric alternative to the best-selling, combustion-engined Audi A3 hatchback, which is currently available to lease from less than £300 per month through the Auto Express Buy A Car service. It will also act as an indirect replacement for the A1 and Q2 that recently went out of production, and will be the more upmarket sister car to the recently updated Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born hatchbacks.
Rivals in the world of compact but classy electric cars will include the Volvo EX30 and Alfa Romeo Junior. However, the Audi’s biggest competition will come from the next-generation BMW 1 Series and Mercedes A-Class that are arriving later.
When Audi CEO Gernot Döllner announced the A2 e-tron name earlier this year he also explained why the brand was lowering the entry point to its all-electric range, saying: “Our customers want electric mobility that impresses in everyday life.
“The A2 e-tron is our promise to deliver exactly that – efficient, compact, and confident. We’re making entry into the electric Audi world easier and more relevant than ever.”
Audi isn’t bringing back the A2 just to score points with fans of its oddball hatchback from the early 2000s. The design of the original car, which the company says “pioneered efficiency and urban mobility over 25 years ago”, has clearly influenced the new A2 e-tron.
What range and performance will the new Audi A2 e-tron offer?
It remains to be seen what technology the new A2 e-tron will feature and if it will include innovative features such as the original A2’s aluminium body and clever use of space. But we do know it will be based on the MEB+ platform that underpins the new VW ID.3 Neo.
This is an updated version of the architecture that is used by about a dozen EVs, including the Skoda Elroq, Cupra Tavascan and Ford Capri.
The A2 e-tron should benefit from any and all the technical upgrades the new ID.3 Neo and Cupra Born received, and should get the same selection of powertrains, meaning the Audi could boast a range of around 400 miles. However, we don’t expect the brand’s famous quattro all-wheel drive system to be available, because the other hatchbacks on this platform have all been rear-wheel drive so far.
How the Audi A2 e-tron fits into Audi’s wider plans
The A2 e-tron is one of three new models Audi has confirmed it will be unveiling this 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 that Auto Express recently got a sneak peek of.
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.”
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