Skip advert
Advertisement

Audi A1 and Audi Q2 won’t get follow-up models

The brand’s two smallest vehicles will soon be removed from its line-up, as Audi shifts its focus to larger, more premium vehicles

Audi Q2

The Audi A1 city car and Q2 crossover will be axed from Audi's line-up at the end of their current life-cycles. In an official statement, the brand said that it plans to direct its efforts away from small cars and throw more resources at its larger cars and electrification.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The official statement reads: “[The current Q2] is here to stay for some time to come. We’re talking a good few years, here. We can, however, confirm that there will be no direct successor to the Audi Q2 when it is phased out in a few years time.“Audi is definitively positioning itself as a premium brand within the Group. As such, it is limiting its model range downward while expanding upward. The systematic electrification strategy will also play a key role here. From 2026, Audi will only launch new all-electric models.”

While we’ve known the A1 was on thin ice since February last year, the death of the Q2 comes as more of a surprise. In an interview last year, Audi’s CEO Markus Duesmann told Auto Express that the compact SUV might take the place of the A1 in the brand’s line-up, saying: “We will certainly offer the Q2 – that might be the new entry level for us.”

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Either way, Audi’s latest attitude towards reducing the number of small cars in its line-up is broadly the same – the strategy is just a little more aggressive than originally anticipated. 

Audi’s main reason for the reshuffle is to direct more cash towards developing better electric cars. Development of the company’s combustion engines will be affected by the same strategy, forming part of the firm’s relentless pursuit of becoming an EV-only brand by 2033

Audi has already confirmed that its last newly developed combustion-engined car will hit the market in 2026. After that, there’ll be no more innovation for petrol power and Audi will throw its full weight behind the development of its electric powertrains and battery packs.

“We have to cut back,” said Duesmann. “We don’t want to add the same portfolio electrically and we do make purpose-built electric cars because we can offer more functionality in purpose-built electric cars. So that means we certainly cut back our combustion-engined car portfolio in the next ten years – we have to and we will.”

However, Duesmann confirmed that some of the mainstays of the current Audi line-up would survive the cull and go on to become fully electric cars. “You will be able to buy an A6 kind of car with a battery electric drivetrain,” he told us. “We will have models available in these core segments where we have our main volume – they will all be ‘XY’ e-tron.”

Now click here to read our in-depth review of the Audi A1...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Audi A1 review
Audi A1 - front
In-depth reviews

Audi A1 review

The Audi A1 is a luxurious and sporty-looking small hatch that gives the MINI a run for its money
20 Feb 2024
Best small cars to buy 2024
Best small cars - February 2024 header
Best cars & vans

Best small cars to buy 2024

Small cars come in all kinds of shapes, if not sizes. Here we highlight the best new small cars on sale
16 Feb 2024
Audi Q2 review
Audi Q2
In-depth reviews

Audi Q2 review

The Audi Q2 is a stylish crossover with big car features, but it’s dated and less well-finished than you might expect
12 Feb 2024
Best used small cars 2024
Best used small cars - header image
Best cars & vans

Best used small cars 2024

Our guide to the best used small cars, covering the top second hand city cars and superminis
16 Jan 2024

Most Popular

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars will now pay £10 more per year, although the biggest gas guzzlers fare even worse
28 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024