All-New A2 and an Electric-Drive Variant of It Are In The Works, Audi Executives Say
By Scott Doggett March 8, 2010
It's been less than a week since Audi unveiled an A1 E-tron design study concept and already the German automaker is talking about adding an electric-drive A2 to its growing list of environmentally sensitive offerings.
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On the sidelines of last week's 2010 Geneva Auto Show, Audi CEO Robert Stadler said the carmaker is developing a reincarnation of the A2 small car that will slot between the A3 compact and the new A1 subcompact introduced at the Geneva auto show last week.
"There's clearly room for another product and another concept between the A3 and A1," Stadler said.
Michael Dick, Audi's board member for technology, said in an interview with Automotive News that the company's push to add electric variants will play a role with the next-generation A2 "in the near future."
The German media have reported that the A2 is expected by 2014. A decision on a U.S. model has not been made.
Audi is using its e-tron vehicles as a high-profile proving ground for battery and electric-drive technology. In Detroit, Audi launched an e-tron sports car; in Geneva, Audi showed an e-tron version of the A1.
The A1 e-tron would be Audi's first extended range plug-in hybrid, using an electric-drive system that provides up to 30 miles on the lithium-ion battery pack's initial charge from the power grid, then draws juice from a small on-board engine-generator (a singe-rotor Wankel) to keep the electric-drive motor turning when the battery is depleted.
Whether the electric-drive A2 will be an all-electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle like the A1 e-tron remains to be disclosed.
The original, slow-selling A2 a premium compact MPV-styled five-door four- or five-seat hatchback designed supermini, produced from November 1999 to 2005. Based on the Audi Al concept car first shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1997, the A2 was notable for being constructed from aluminum.
But it was also notable for it tepid styling and less-than-stellar performance. In total, only 176,377 A2s were sold.
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