Secrets of the new Audi Q2 e-tron uncovered: £35k EV SUV coming soon

Affordable Audis will live on into the electric era with the reveal of a new entry SUV next year. 

Slotting in below the Q4 e-tron, the new model will potentially be badged Q2 e-tron and would give the premium manufacturer a £35,000 starting point for its EV offering, taking on the likes of Volvo’s EX30 and the MINI Aceman. It also means a future for small Audis is back on the cards, after the firm announced that the petrol-powered A1 and Q2 would end production this year.

Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner told us: “We won’t step out of these segments; we will end production of the A1 and Q2, and there will be no successor to the A1, but we will see a car that will enter production next year that is our entry BEV model,” confirming plans for the new baby electric SUV. 

Due to be revealed in the second half of next year with sales starting in early 2027, the new Q2 e-tron will arrive too soon to take advantage of the Volkswagen Group’s more advanced new EV platform, called SSP (Scalable Systems Platform). Instead, it will use the same MEB (Modular Electric Drive) underpinnings as a current broad range of EVs across Volkswagen, Cupra and Skoda, most recently deployed on the Czech firm’s Elroq SUV. It’s also the base for Audi’s larger Q4 e-tron, and is used by Ford on the Capri and Explorer, too. 

The new model is likely to stick closely to the recognizable Audi family face, as you can see from our exclusive image that previews how it could look, although insiders say the firm’s new design boss Massimo Frascella has joined early enough to influence the looks, following his switch from Jaguar Land Rover last year. Frascella’s first big statement about Audi’s design future will be revealed in September with a concept set to hint at a future new TT. 

The new Q2 e-tron is likely to be around 100mm shorter and a little bit lower than its Q4 e-tron SUV sibling. Boot space will also be down on the bigger car’s 520-litre maximum capacity. 

Reflecting the Q4 e-tron’s powertrain line-up, the entry cars are likely to get a 201bhp motor and smaller 63kWh battery, although the newest addition to the line-up is likely to launch with a 282bhp motor and larger 82kWh battery, which should see it offer an official range figure in excess of 350 miles. The Q2 e-tron is also set to come with quattro four-wheel drive and a higher level of tech than its family peers.

Speaking to Auto Express recently, new Audi UK boss Jose Miguel Aparicio was enthusiastic about the prospect of a smaller EV. “If I had one request, especially for the UK market, I think we need an EV below Q4 e-tron,” he said. “That is something that would complement our product range, and would be on my letter to Santa.”

Audi is trying to shift its brand upmarket, and chase profit and quality of business over outright quantity, which has led to the demise of the A1 and Q2 models. Although they ranked consistently among the brand’s top four sellers in the UK, smaller cars don’t sell well in the USA or China, two major Audi markets. Globally, the Q7 outsells the A1, and Audi makes significantly more money per vehicle on the big SUV. 

But that means Europe will have a key role to play in ensuring the new smaller model’s success, especially as the UK outpoints Audi’s home market in Germany when it comes to the brand’s electric vehicle sales. 

The all-new SSP currently under development is likely to underpin the next EV in Audi’s plans, with an A3-sized electric car said to be under development. SSP will also be the base for the replacement for the Volkswagen ID.3, tentatively called ID.Golf, as well as Skoda’s planned entry into the family car market with an Octavia-sized EV. But those cars are still at least a couple of years away.

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