You wouldn’t know it, but the Audi A2 is now 25 years old. Ahead of its time with a super-slippery shape and an aluminium construction – a first for a mass-produced car – the little four-ringed hatchback still looks fresh today. That’s not to say it can’t be modernised, which is exactly what members of Audi’s apprentice programme have done.
Perhaps inevitably, this A2, complete with ‘A2 5 years’ number plates, has been given an electric powertrain, making it an ‘A2 e-tron’. We don’t know any technical details about the EV gubbins that have been added, or much at all about the car – information seems thin on the ground, and all we have to go on are a few images and videos posted on Audi’s social media channels.
In them, we can see the A2’s recognisable shape hasn’t been messed about with, but it’s been cleaned up with hidden door handles (we’re assuming these now open electronically), cameras instead of mirrors, and new front and rear bumpers that bring the styling more in line with cars like the e-tron GT.
The wheel arches are now filled with new rims featuring an aero-friendly design, and there are now light-up four-ringed badges front and rear plus new light clusters at both ends of the car.
Audi A2 e-tron – rear
With all the changes, the ‘A2 e-tron’ should cut through the air nicely. As it was, the old car was extremely well aerodynamically optimised, with a drag coefficient of just 0.25Cd. Combined with the 1.4-litre TDI engine, that aero profile makes for fantastic frugality – we tested a diesel A2 on the Car Throttle YouTube channel and managed over 100mpg.
Unfortunately, the A2 was never a big seller and proved expensive to manufacture. It was discontinued and never received a direct follow-up, with the A1 proving to be a much more conventional car sharing much in common with the VW Polo.
Audi A2 e-tron – front
The A1 isn’t long for this world either, due to disappear in 2025, again with no direct replacement. There is, however, set to be a small Audi EV at some point, although we wouldn’t bank on it looking much like this reinvented A2.
