Factory Trainees Build Restomod e-tron to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of the Audi A2

What makes a car a classic? According to most DMVs and vintage car clubs, a car reaches antique status at 25 years. It’s hard to believe Y2K was 25 years ago, but it was… and so too was the introduction of the Audi A2. To celebrate, Audi’s built a modernized restomod design study based on the original A2… but with an electric e-tron drivetrain.

Do you know how the Audi TT and its aluminum space frame (ASF) are more exotic and lighter than other Volkswagen Group A-chassis cars like the Audi A3 or VW Golf, yet use many of the same components including suspension, drivetrain and more? That ASF usage on the TT began in the Mk2 around 2006, but Audi had pursued the concept years before with the A2. That model was devised to have Audi take on Mercedes-Benz’s own A-class push into the small city car segment, and Audi sought a more exotic and tech-laden competitor using corporate A0 chassis components also used on cars like the VW Lupo and SEAT Arosa. The Audi though would use higher grade materials for a more luxurious end result, and that began with that aluminum space frame.

Fast forward to today and Audi AG has revealed their latest intern/trainee-derived project. Based on an A2 from the early 2000s, the trainee team appears to have totally rebuilt it including updated and modernized design and a reportedly electric e-tron drivetrain.

Here’s what the associated post stated on Instagram.

“3…2…1… Curtain up for the Audi A2 e-tron. Thanks to the incredible commitment and team spirit, we are celebrating the completion of our conversion project. With great dedication and expertise, our trainees, dual students and the dedicated supervisors converted an Audi A2 into the Audi A2 e-tron and achieved an outstanding result. Congratulations to everyone involved – a real masterpiece!”

That’s not much in the way of detail, so we’ll await more from Audi when it’s ready to put out official details. Even still, based on what’s been done for previous projects, we’re guessing this project uses components from existing Audi models… perhaps the Q4, not to mention prototyping and design from or with the assistance of the various associated departments. In the old days, concepts like this would drop at the expansive Wörthersee gathering for enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group brands in Austria where Audi once created is own official presence. More recent trainee concepts tend to roll out similar to this one, and one of the most notable recent examples is the RS 6 GTO that inspired the Audi RS 6 GT.

Could the A2 inspire a future Audi product like the RS 6 GTO has? We doubt it as the RS 6 GT is a special edition model whereas an Audi A2 would be a whole new car at a time when the brand seems to be moving away from small cars following its cancellation of the A1 model. However, we also note that this is coming to the fore as other brands like Mercedes-Benz pair with aftermarket restomod firms to bring forward up cycled versions of iconic cars – the G-Wagen in the case of Mercedes-Benz.

So, would you want an e-tron converted A2? Well, whether you’d want an EV-swapped version or even just a standard survivor, it’s also worth noting that at 25 years the first year of Y2K-built Audi A2s will now be importable into the United States just as soon as they celebrate their own build date’s 25th birthday.