Audi’s CEO Markus Duesmann confirmed that both the A1 and the Q2 won’t be getting new generations, as the brand is focusing on larger and more premium segments. This means that after the end of the current A1 and Q2 lifecycles, the entry-level point to Audi’s lineup will be the A3 and Q3 models.
The news was shared by Audi’s CEO during an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt where he said: “We have decided not to build the A1 anymore, and there will be no successor model from the Q2 either. We have also realigned Audi as a premium brand. We will limit our model range at the bottom and expand it at the top.”
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The Audi Q2 was introduced in 2016 as the brand’s smallest SUV, sharing the MQB platform with the VW T-Roc and the Skoda Kamiq. In 2018, Audi expanded the range with the addition of the SQ2 performance flagship and the longer Q2L for China which also got a fully electric version called the Q2L e-tron. The SUV received a mid-life facelift in 2020, which will march on for a few more years before being discontinued from the range. The same applies to the second-generation A1 supermini that debuted in 2018 and could get a facelift before being phased out.
The decision not to move on with the A1 and Q2 lines in the future allows Audi to redirect funds to the development of EVs and larger models with higher margins for profit, like the upcoming Q6 e-tron. In terms of smaller models, there is a possibility of a production version of the 2019 Al:ME concept that could become a spiritual successor to the A2 although nothing is official yet.
Markus Duesmann’s decision to move Audi upmarket is in line with its main rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which do not have offerings below the compact segment. This will also help Audi distance itself more from Volkswagen and move closer to brands like Porsche and Bentley within the VW Group in terms of high-end model lines. Audi will launch its last new ICE-powered model in 2026, and is set to become a fully electric brand in the early 2030s after the aforementioned model – likely the second-gen Q8 SUV – reaches the end of its lifecycle.
