Is it going to happen anyway? Will there be a new A2? For years, A2 fans, the A2 driving writer of this type, have been begging for a rebirth of the ingenious aluminum MPV that, in 2000, was too expensive and, therefore, misunderstood, too far ahead of its time.
In 2019 Audi showed the AI: me in Shanghai, an almost autonomous driving future study that did not deny its affinity with the A2. The most visible parallel was the back with the kinked glass section. I feasted in advance. And now AutoBild reports that there is real movement in the matter. On the new MEB Entry platform for small electric cars of the VW group, curiously developed by Seat, Audi sees space for an electric successor to the mythical original. “The time for a new A2 would have come”, the magazine received in the corridors. “Even if the old man was a flop, he still determines the image of Audi today.” It seems a bit exaggerated to me, but for charity I am fully in agreement with the German brothers.
I would have no objection to the Shanghai design. Of course, car manufacturers always want to move forward, so that only their design departments have the mandate to revert to the past. As an Audi, I would opt for a remake once in the A2 route. After all, here in Ingolstadt they can take their Vorsprung durch Technik off the shelf, twenty years young and not a day out of date. Although, the dashboard and safety features require an upgrade, of course, even though the car achieved just four stars in the Euro NCAP crash test in 2002 – albeit with severe penalties for pedestrian safety, for which the Audi only scored one star. But there is undoubtedly something to be done about it.
The core values ​​of the concept are now proudly upheld. No car of this size – length three meters eighty-two – offers such a spacious interior for four adult passengers and 390 liters (!) Of luggage space. The Audi Space Frame with the aluminum body is a genius lightweight construction. There is a double bottom for the batteries, because an electric powertrain was already taken into account in the development phase. An extremely low drag coefficient of 0.25 for the A2 1.2 TDI still impresses. The spare diesel, which easily reached 1 in 33, even the struts and suspension are made of aluminum. The durability is maximum.
Imagine. You take the carriage of the 1.2, which weighs 830 kilograms ready to drive. You take out the diesel and the box, together 134 kilos – which I know quite precisely thanks to the masterful book that my German colleague Dirk-Michael Conradt wrote about the history of my Audi. Remains: less than 700 kilos. That gives you hundreds of kilos of leeway for an incredibly light EV. The 50 kWh battery pack of the electric Corsa weighs less than 350 kilos in total. Theoretically, such an A2 Electric should remain well below 1100 kilos. Due to the low mass and low air resistance, it would suffice for a relatively compact battery pack.
I have been dreaming about it for years. The black A2 1.4 here on the driveway, with 165,000 kilometers in spite of some minor things in top condition at times, can still be used. But if the engine should falter, I would rather have it electrified by myself than to give it up. It will not rust, and a conversion with those steadily falling battery prices can not be that expensive over time. It is and remains one of the most thoughtful cars ever. I have that little Einstein in my heart. But it is already a great comfort that Audi wishes to honor his name.