Audi's A2 Concept is one of a variety of production and prototype vehicles the maker will show in Frankfurt next week.
American motorists are used to equating price with pounds and inches. The bigger and heavier the car the more it costs. But Europeans have come to recognize that good things often come in small packages. And with fuel prices surging to nearly $10 a gallon in some Continental markets there’s growing demand for small luxury cars like the Audi A2.
Measuring just over 12 feet, bumper-to-bumper, the German maker describes the four-seat A2 Concept debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week as a “premium-class space concept.” It’ll be a trick to pull that off considering the comparably-sized Mini Cooper fits four but just barely, despite its own innovative interior layout.
The Audi A2 Concept is just one of an assortment of new products and prototypes the maker plans to unveil at the biennial Frankfurt show. It’s also got new performance versions of its main line-up, with the S6, S7 and S8 models set for introduction. But clearly, Audi’s emphasis is on downsizing. One of its most unusual show cars in years is the tandem two-seater, the Audi Urban Concept.
The A2 is a bit more practical and more likely to show up in the Audi line-up.
The accent line shown in this rendering is made up of LED lights that operate during turns or braking.
The striking renderings Audi has released bear more than a subtle similarity in exterior design to the maker’s big crossover line-up, the Q5 in particular, with a strong character line linking headlamps and taillights. That’s actually a functional part of the new car’s design, with the line made up of red LED lamps that pulsate when the turn signal is activated and flash in varying intensity to indicate how hard the driver has stomped onto the brake pedal.
The high-tech lighting also includes new matrix-beam headlamps that use reflectors to concentrate the power of the A2’s LED lights. In the rear, laser diodes can project a red triangle onto the road to warn oncoming traffic when the vehicle is stopped.
Meanwhile, Audi takes keyless entry a step further with a proximity sensor designed to recognize an authorized driver. Hand motions can then be used to unlock the doors.
The A2 is yet another Audi offering to hint of the maker’s growing interest in battery propulsion, though the maker is saving powertrain specifics for its Frankfurt news conference.
The A2 offers extended connectivity and key controls are placed on the inside of its steering wheel.
Inside, passengers won’t feel so claustrophobic thanks to the sweeping panorama of glass – which includes an electrochromic roof that can switch from dark to transparent with the touch of a button.
A 7-inch LCD display provides critical driver information, framed by the steering wheel, with smaller displays offering additional controls and data. Most vehicle functions can be operated by touch using controls on the inside of the wheel.
The thin seats can all be moved – – or removed – as necessary, and even fold up to provide additional storage space.
While many of the features of the new Audi A2 Concept aren’t likely to find much use off the show stage it’s clear the maker sees an opportunity to keep moving into smaller and smaller products – as rivals like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have already been doing. So, don’t be surprised to see the Concept hail the imminent return of the A2 which has been absent from the Audi line-up since 2005.