Audi has reportedly decided to pull the plug on a second-generation A2, a small car that would have been aimed at small premium plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles like the BMW i3.
The original A2, constructed mostly from aluminium with highly efficient engines, was never really a sales success and lived in the shadow of Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class.
The new A2 concept, which debuted at the 2011 Franfurt Motor Show also boasted aluminium construction, with carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer and other lightweight materials to further minimize its overall mass. The A2 concept stored its lithium-ion battery pack underneath the passenger compartment thank to a sandwich platform not dissimilar to the first A-Class. An 85 kW motor with 270 N.m of torque powered the A2 concept and was good for a 150 km/h top speed, and range of 200 km.
New A2 would have been launched in 2014 had the project seen the light of day, but the programme wasn’t entirely a waste – with some of the A2’s technology no doubt making its way into other Audi products in the coming years.
