Audi is rejuvenating its image with a new design language pioneered by the gorgeous, fully electric Concept C. A production version is due in 2027, but the EV lineup will already have grown by then. As early as next year, the BMW rival will expand its zero-emission offerings with a new entry-level car. The disclosure is tucked away in a press release about the brand’s new styling approach.
The Four Rings isn’t ready to share details, only saying the more affordable EV will be manufactured at home in Ingolstadt. What we do know is that it will indirectly replace two combustion-engine models: the A1 and Q2. Production of the supermini and subcompact crossover will end in 2026, when the entry-level EV is scheduled to go on sale. As for body style, Audi won’t say, though reports suggest it’ll be positioned somewhere between a hatchback and an SUV.
Although unconfirmed, the new entry point into Audi’s electric portfolio is expected to be related to the Skoda Elroq. It would lean more toward the crossover side, making it a direct rival to the BMW iX1. While the model from Munich shares its platform with the gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrid X1, its Ingolstadt opponent will use a dedicated EV platform (MEB).
British magazine Autocar quotes CEO Gernot Döllner describing the upcoming EV as a “wonderful, unique, independent concept” in the same class as the 1 Series-rivaling A3. He hinted the new EV could revive the “A2” nameplate previously used for a quirky aluminum-bodied hatchback. The CEO added it’s “thinkable” Audi could bring back past monikers for future models.
Whatever name it adopts, the entry-level EV will slot below the Q4 E-Tron in pricing. Consequently, it’ll start from less than the €46,150 Audi currently asks for the base version in Germany. In the United States, pricing starts at $51,095, though it’s unclear if the future model will be offered there. Reuters reports that the company aims for two million annual sales in the long term, and wider availability of a more affordable EV would improve its chances. Last year, Audi sold 1.67 million cars compared to BMW’s 2.2 million units worldwide.
Our sources claim BMW plans to go a size below the iX1 later this decade with the i1. Expected in 2028 as a rear-wheel-drive hatchback featuring Neue Klasse know-how, the i1 is believed to be internally known as “NB0.” It’s said to deliver at least 373 miles (600 kilometers) of WLTP range from new battery tech with round cells. An equivalent sedan may follow the same year as the i2 Gran Coupe, codenamed “NB8.”
Source: Audi
