The original Audi A2 was one of the German car brand’s quirkiest and most innovative models ever, and now its name is being reused for a vehicle that bears some resemblance.
The new Audi A2 – which now has the e-tron suffix – was officially presented in northern autumn (September to November) 2026 and is intended to be the new entry into the luxury brand’s growing range of electric vehicles (EVs).
Like the original combustion engine A2, the new entry-level electric vehicle has an upright, almost MPV-like stance but a slim roofline.
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As recent spy photos have shown, it looks even more like a “tallboy” than Volkswagen Group’s other small electric cars such as the Cupra Born, with which it is expected to share the MEB base. The larger Audi Q4 e-tron is also based on the MEB platform.
The A2 e-tron is built in Audi’s hometown of Ingolstadt, Germany. The Ingolstadt plant currently produces the Q2, A3, A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron.
Audi says it has the youngest portfolio among its rivals, and its next two major launches will be the A2 e-tron and, at the other end of the spectrum, the all-new Q9 full-size SUV.
The A2 will take on the upcoming next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, which will get the option of electric drive alongside combustion engines and will also reportedly take on a more SUV-like shape.
However, the A2 e-tron is said to be purely electric, even if it fills the gap left by the dying A1 hatchback and the Q2 small SUV, both of which are petrol-powered.
The original A2 was produced between 1999 and 2005 and while it became a critic’s favorite and a cult classic, it never sold in the numbers Audi had hoped.
Around 176,000 examples found homes worldwide, but the 3.8 m long city car was never offered in Australia.
Martin Winterkorn, former Volkswagen Group chief executive, said: “Buyers never really fell in love with the narrow and tall design,” while the bespoke aluminum spaceframe ensured the A2 couldn’t be “priced enough”.
While Mercedes-Benz turned away from the quirky tallboy shape of its first two generations of the A-Class in favor of a more conventional hatchback body, Audi belatedly replaced the A2 with the A1 hatchback at the end of its model range, using a lower-cost platform shared with Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda.
The use of ubiquitous MEB underpinnings should also help keep costs down for the new A2, although it will likely be more expensive than the A1 and Q2 it will replace.
In Australia, the Q2 range currently starts at $49,400 before on-road costs, while the A1 – now only available in a single variant – costs $51,500 before on-road costs.
Audi’s cheapest electric vehicle here is the Q4 e-tron, which starts at $84,900 before on-road costs, leaving plenty of room for a cheaper, battery-powered option underneath. However, the German brand has yet to confirm whether the Q2 e-tron will be available here.
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