Audi A2 e-tron to launch later this year; Entry-level electric vehicle will be produced in Ingolstadt, Germany 

Audi has confirmed the revival of the A2 brand name as the A2 e-tron, which this time around will be a battery- electric level vehicle that is to be launched later this year. This is after a rumour that emerged last month that the A2 name will be revived as an entry- level model. 

The name of the next model is an intentional reference to the Audi A2, the first car to be efficient and focused on the city, which appeared in 1999. The A2 e-tron has also been indirectly substituting the A1 and Q2 that end their manufacturing next year, in an earlier Autocar story. 

The A2 e-tron will be manufactured at the Ingolstadt headquarters of the brand, which will increase the number of brands produced within Europe and its home, Germany. 

“The A2 e-tron is crucial for our brand and also for our German home. Within the production of an additional fully electric model family in Ingolstadt, we are securing jobs and delivering electric mobility ‘made in Germany’, said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.

Its shape implies it will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor with the raised floor and fairly ample interior headroom, although its use of a naming convention of AA rather than QQ would suggest that it is not a crossover, despite that look of physical height. 

A2 e-tron specifications remain officially secret, but it has been reported to be based on the MEB platform of Volkswagen that forms the basis of the Volkswagen ID.3, when initially the compact Audi EV had been intended on the SSP platform.

In case of reference, the ID.3 will receive 58 kWh and 77 kWh batteries, with the latter providing up to 546 km of range under the WLTP test standards.

In the official release of the A2 e-tron, Audi has also given a hint at the launch of the Q9 flagship SUV, also to be done later on this year, and with the A2, this is the last Audi model that will be released in the market. As the name implies, the Q9 will be above the Q7 and hence will compete with other brands such as the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS and the L460 Range Rover.