Audi plans new 'electric A3'

German company is developing a new EV architecture that will allow it to produce a smaller entry-level model for its line-up of EVs

- John Mcllroy

• Audi will not abandon small cars, as arch-rival Mercedes plans to
• New EV platform will underpin entry-level car due around 2026

AUDI will shun current premium-brand trends by remaining committed to more compact models like the A3, the firm's boss has confirmed - and that is likely to lead to a showstopping baby EV due around 2026.

The German brand is axing its smallest models, with no successors expected for the current A1 supermini and Q2 crossover. But while Audi's rival Mercedes is widely expected to drop the Golf-sized A-Class and B-Class from its line-up by the middle of the decade, Audi is pushing ahead with plans to introduce precisely that size of vehicle on its forthcoming all-electric platform.

At the Audi annual media conference last month, the firm's CEO Markus Duesmann confirmed that as part of a push to have an "all-electric vehicle in each core segment", an A3-sized model has been given the green light. "We have decided to launch an additional entry-level electric model, below the Q4 e-tron," he said.