Audi A2 e-tron Makes Its Debut With Up to 401 Miles of Range

[Source: Audi]

Audi has spent months teasing the return of the A2, but now we finally get to see the real thing. The new Audi A2 e-tron has officially made its debut, bringing back a familiar name with electric power, impressive practicality, and up to 401 miles of range. Efficiency remains the big story. Audi says the A2 e-tron is the most efficient production vehicle in the company’s history, consuming as little as 12.8 kWh per 100 kilometers. But now that the full car has been revealed, there is much more to talk about than a single efficiency number.

The A2 e-tron will be offered with four power levels and three battery sizes. The range starts with a 125-kW (168-hp) model using a 52-kWh battery. At the opposite end sits a 240-kW (322-hp) version with 545 Nm (402 lb-ft) of torque and an 84-kWh battery. That model can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds and offers up to 391 miles of range.

Interestingly, it isn’t the most powerful version that travels the farthest. A 170-kW (228-hp) A2 e-tron equipped with the 84-kWh battery achieves the headline 646-kilometer, or roughly 401-mile, range. Rounding out the range is a 140-kW (188-hp) model. All versions use rear-wheel drive.

Small Audi, Plenty of Technology

The A2 e-tron is compact, but Audi hasn’t treated it like a stripped-down entry-level model. Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, emergency brake assist, parking sensors, a rearview camera, and an MMI panoramic display incorporating an 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit plus and 12.8-inch touchscreen.

There’s also available bidirectional charging. Vehicle-to-Load allows the battery to power external devices, while Vehicle-to-Home functionality can turn the A2 e-tron into a home energy-storage system with compatible equipment in select markets.

Audi also paid serious attention to practicality. A 2.77-meter (just over 9 feet) wheelbase maximizes interior room despite the compact footprint, while a massive 1.6-square-meter (over 17 square feet) panoramic glass roof helps make the cabin feel even more spacious.

Pricing starts at €38,200 in Germany. Order books open this fall, with the first customer deliveries scheduled for December. Audi will build the A2 e-tron alongside the A3 at its Ingolstadt plant, using existing production equipment to keep manufacturing costs and complexity under control.

Don’t Expect It in America

Unfortunately, there is a catch for Audi Club members in the United States. Audi says the A2 e-tron was developed specifically around the needs of European customers, and there are currently no announced plans to sell it in the U.S. Audi’s American product strategy is increasingly focused elsewhere, including larger vehicles such as the new Q9.

That’s a bit of a shame because the A2 e-tron looks like one of Audi’s more interesting new EVs. It isn’t trying to win a horsepower war or stuff the biggest possible battery underneath an enormous SUV. Instead, Audi concentrated on efficiency, usable range, smart packaging, and a relatively attainable price. In other words, it follows the same unconventional philosophy that made the original A2 interesting in the first place.

If Audi would let Americans have one, would you be interested?