Audi has begun testing a new entry-level model that is set to indirectly replace the A1 and Q2 when they are retired next year.
The EV will be the smallest car Audi offers and is set to be positioned as an electric counterpart to both the A3 hatchback and Q3 crossover.
Seen by Autocar photographers for the first time, the new EV looks like a smaller version of the Q4 E-tron but with clear influence from the bubble-like A2 of 1999-2005.
Because the new EV won't serve as a direct replacement for any models, it could wear a new badge – and a resurrection of the long-dormant A2 moniker is one possibility.
Speaking previously to Autocar, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner wouldn't confirm any future naming plans but said it was "thinkable" that the brand could redeploy historic names.
While technical details are still under wraps, the new EV is expected to sit on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, which underpins a raft of EVs from the Volkswagen ID 3 to the Q4 E-tron, Ford Capri and Cupra Tavascan.
Given its size and positioning (straddling the boundary between hatchback and crossover), it will most likely be twinned with the Skoda Elroq.
That car is offered with batteries from 58kWh to 79kWh and in its most efficient form can travel up to 360 miles on a single charge. The sporty vRS version puts out 335bhp.
Unlike the Elroq, the new Audi will be a premium offering in the A-segment. Döllner previously said: "There are not many brands in the world, but I think Audi can have a true premium offer in the A-segment.”
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The decision to replace the A1 and Q2 with a single car is part of “a wider Audi move to simplify the model line-up”, Döllner said.
As such, the new EV will be the smallest car Audi will offer, confirmed Döllner, adding that smaller segments “will be utilised by other brands and the Group” – models such as the VW ID Polo, VW ID Cross, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq.
This will allow Audi to “focus on a specific portfolio” that will bring “a more focused and a clearer view for the customer”.
