One of Audi’s perennial forbidden fruits, the A2, is making the leap to e-tron full electrification: presenting, the A2 e-tron. The original 1999 A2 was Audi’s and indeed the world’s first mainstream affordable all-aluminum car, following five years after the flagship A8 adopted the material. That small Audi Space Frame model was discontinued after 2005, and its reincarnation as the 2027 Audi A2 e-tron utilizes the VW Group’s primarily steel MEB platform, but it will rank as history’s most efficient Audi, with a 164 mpg-e efficiency rating on the WLTP scale.
Aero and Mechanical Efficiency, Not Weight Savings
The sleek new A2 e-tron boasts a claimed drag coefficient of 0.24, thanks to its slippery profile terminating in a sloped roofline with ducktail spoiler, largely enclosed undercarriage, slick wheels, and “gap reducers” integrated into the wheel-arch trim that deploy to shrink the gap to the tires. Wing-shaped haptic electric door release handles also help cheat the wind.
The structure strives for sustainability, with 300 components made from recycled steel, aluminum, and plastics. But EVs aren’t light, and all variants of this one will
tip the scales at over 2 tons.
3 Battery Packs, 4 Powertrains
Entry-level models get a choice of 51.0- or 61.0-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate
batteries, while the top 84.0-kWh pack utilizes nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry. All A2s feature rear-wheel drive. The efficiency champ occupies the second rung of the price ladder; tuned to provide 188 hp and 258 lb-ft, its 61-kWh pack delivers that whopping 164 mpg-e rating (the Tesla Model 3 long-range RWD model is rated for 169 mpg-e on that same scale). WLTP range for that one is 320 miles, although the European test estimate is more optimistic than our EPA’s.
The entry level car gets a 125-hp/258-lb-ft motor and that 51-kWh pack delivering a 153-mpg-e rating and 263 miles of range. The range champ is the 228-hp/258-lb-ft model with the 84kWh NMC pack, good for 401 miles and 151 mpg-e. The most powerful A2 will get a 322-hp/402-lb-ft motor good for 0-to-62 mph in 5.7 seconds, 391 miles of range, and 151 mpg-e on WLTP terms.
Vehicle-to-Grid Ready
All A2e-trons can power devices via onboard outlets and an adaptor for the charging port. But in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the A2 e-tron can also function as a home battery with suitable DC wall boxes via Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) feeding stored
energy back into the household grid.
