The Frankfurt Motor Show may be three months away, but it is already promising to be an exciting show for lovers of electric cars.
Yesterday we heard that BMW is expected to unveil a version of its much-anticipated i3 electric hatchback, but it now appears that Audi is expected to unveil its own electric hatchback with the potential to spawn a new all-electric sub-brand.
According to British car site Autoexpress insider sources at Audi have said that the automaker has been quietly developing an all-electric car to replace its European-only A2 subcompact minivan crossover.
audi a2 main630 01
The previous A2 was discontinued in 2004 despite a diesel fuel economy rivaling many cars produced today and was favored by suburban soccer moms wanting a small but spacious runabout for the daily duties of family runabout.
News of the new A2 e-tron isn’t exactly new. We first heard a rumor back in 2009 that Audi was working on a new A2 with all-electric drivetrain, which surfaced again last year along with news earlier this year that Audi was working on both electric and plug-in electric A2s for 2015. The latest rumor says that Audi is finishing a completely new platform made out of lightweight components on which it will base the A2 e-tron.
Relaunching the A2 as an electric car could prove a smart move for Audi. While the automaker has yet to confirm or deny any rumors an Audi A2 e-tron could provide a worthy adversary to the all-electric 2013 BMW i3 and the limited-production Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell.
Given how keen Audi has been lately on promoting its electric car development, we think the chances of Audi unveiling an A2 e-tron this fall are pretty high, but don’t expect it to have the same massive 375 mile range of the infamous DBM Energy’s converted A2, which was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.
[AutoExpress]
View original artcle at: “https://www.greencarreports.com//news/1060855_audi-a2-to-get-e-tron-treatment-for-2011-frankfurt-motor-show”
