NEW AUDI Q2 LEADS VW BABY CAR BLITZ

REPORT Small SUV model to arrive next year, based on Volkswagen Group's MEB electric vehicle architecture

- Paul Barker

AFFORDABLE Audis will live on into the electric era with the launch of a new entry SUV next year. Slotting in below the Q4 e-tron, the newcomer will potentially be badged Q2 e-tron and would give the premium manufacturer a £35,000 starting point for its EV offering, taking on the likes of Volvo's EX30 and the MINI Aceman. It also means a future for small Audis is back on the cards, after the firm announced that the petrol-powered A1 and Q2 would end production this year.

Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner told us: “We won't step out of these segments; we will end production of the A1 and Q2, and there will be no successor to the A1, but we will see a car that will be going into production next year that is our entry BEV model,” all but confirming plans for the new baby electric SUV.