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Audi is clearing space at the bottom of its lineup, and the message is hard to miss. The A1 and Q2 are on their way out, while a long-awaited electric sports car is now locked in for production in 2027. One chapter closes. Another gets sharper.
Buried in a wider update on Audi’s production network, the brand confirmed that Q2 manufacturing in Ingolstadt will end this April. The compact crossover has had a decent run since its 2016 launch, especially in Europe, where its starting price of around €29,000 placed it well below the larger Q3. It never reached U.S. showrooms, but in Europe it found plenty of buyers, with more than 887,000 units sold over the last decade. Lately, though, demand has faded.
The Q2 is not leaving alone. Audi also says A1 production is winding down at the Martorell plant in Spain. The small hatchback has been part of the brand’s entry-level strategy since 2010, eventually spanning two generations and more than 1.38 million sales. Offered in Sportback and Allstreet forms, the latest version started at just under €23,000, which made it one of the most accessible ways into the Audi badge. But even that could not fully protect it from the market shift.
The real twist is what comes next.
Both models are effectively being replaced by the new A2 e-tron, a compact electric hatchback due to debut this fall. Early reports point to Audi using the MEB+ platform, the same updated architecture that will also underpin the next ID.3 Neo. Battery options are expected to include 58 kWh and 79 kWh packs, with WLTP range figures reaching as high as 630 km. That is a serious jump for a car aimed at the mainstream end of the EV market.
And then there is the one enthusiasts will care about most. Audi has also confirmed that its electric sports car will enter production in 2027 at the Böllinger Höfe facility, the brand’s small-series manufacturing home. The car was previewed by the Concept C, and it is shaping up to be Audi’s answer to the Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman. Think two seats, a retractable hardtop, a stripped-back cabin, and a cleaner design language that signals a fresh direction for the brand.
For Audi, this feels like a deliberate reset. Out with the cheaper combustion-era models. In with electric hardware, sharper positioning, and a sports car that could finally give the brand a true halo model again.
Source: carscoops
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