Audi News - Audi working on new A2, including an electric version

March 25, 2009 by tsikot

Audi working on new A2, including an electric version

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi A1 Sportback concept

Audi has made a habit over the last few years of teasing us with cool small car concepts that appear as if they could be production-bound but have yet to materialize into an actual vehicle for sale. Audi’s trepidation isn’t too surprising since its last city car, the A2, never found a real audience and failed to translate into big sales. Still, the automaker hasn’t given up on the idea of an A2 revival, especially since small cars from logical competitors, like the MINI from BMW, have proven so popular.

According to Michael Dick, the German brand’s chief of R&D, the next small car in the works has moved to the concept stage and is reportedly recognizable as an A2 but will be designed from the start to house both standard internal combustion engines and electric powertrains. The firm’s A1 will do battle with the smart fortwo and Toyota iQ on the city car front while the revived A2 will be a bit larger and will be based on a separate platform.

Gallery: Audi A1 Sportback concept