Looking Back for the Future
The Audi A2 might not be the first model you’d expect a modern incarnation of. But it’s really coming! The electric newcomer can be seen in action on these spy photos at petrolhead paradise Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Earlier this month we were able to show you the first photos of the modern electrically powered interpretation of the Audi A2. Audi is accelerating the development and testing work with this newcomer. The model – which we’ll temporarily call the Audi A2 e-tron – has now been spotted again, this time at the Green Hell where aspects like road handling are being tested.
The photographed prototype is camouflaged in the same way as the variant we recently showed you. However, this time it’s fitted with a different set of alloy wheels. We can’t discern any further new details. We expect the new Audi A2 e-tron, like the upcoming compact EVs from Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra, will be based on the MEB Entry platform. This means it’s fundamentally a front-wheel drive vehicle, though we also expect versions with rear-wheel drive. Audi will undoubtedly apply the Quattro designation to those.
In the Audi lineup, the Audi A2 e-tron will occupy a position below the A3 and Q4 e-tron. The crossover will likely serve as a successor to, or at least as an electric alternative for, the Audi Q2. That model is now almost 9 years old and doesn’t appear to be getting a direct successor. Its sister model Volkswagen T-Roc, however, will.
That Audi is looking to the past for its new models is interesting, but doesn’t come out of nowhere. Recently Audi showed the Concept C, a study model that incorporated various influences from the past. That Concept C not only served as a preview of a new sporty model, but also indicated the design direction Audi will take in the coming years.