AUDI READIES ENTRY EV WITH A2-INSPIRED LOOK

All-new model will arrive next year and be sold alongside the larger A3

- WILL RIMELL

Audi has begun testing a new entry- level model that is set to indirectly replace the Al and Q2 when they are retired next year. The new EV will be the smallest car that Audi offers and is set to be positioned as a rival to the BMW iX1 and upcoming second-gen Mercedes-Benz GLA EV.

Spotted by Autocar spy photographers for the first time, the EV looks like a smaller version of the Q4 E-tron but shows clear visual influence from the A2 of 1999-2005.

Because the new EV won't serve as a direct replacement for any existing model, it could be assigned a new name - and a resurrection of the long-dormant A2 badge is one possibility.