As we reported in September, the Q2 will be built on the same modular MQB platform as Audi’s A3 and TT models, the eighth-generation Volkswagen Passat that’s sold in Europe, and the seventh-gen Golf, among many others. Official teaser images suggest the soft-roader will borrow styling cues such as angular headlights and a hexagonal grille from bigger Audi crossovers like the Q3 and the Q7, and it’s strangely fitted with T-shaped LED daytime running lights similar to the ones found on Volvo’s XC90 and S90.
Power will be provided by three- and four-cylinder gasoline- and diesel-burning engines borrowed from the Volkswagen parts bin. Front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission will come standard, and the list of options will include a dual-clutch automatic with shift paddles and Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system. At this point, it’s too early to tell if a sport-focused SQ2 is in the works, but we’ll learn more during the Geneva show.
The Audi Q2 will go on sale in Europe and in a host of other overseas markets shortly after it greets the show-going public in Geneva. When it lands, it will be billed as a more spacious alternative to the MINI-fighting A1 city car. However, Audi hasn’t revealed whether the model will be offered in the United States. Crossovers are more popular here than they’ve ever been, but Audi might choose to keep its entry-level model away from our shores because of its truly diminutive size.
Editors' Recommendations
- Audi balances carsharing, EVs, and sports cars as it prepares for the 2020s
- Audi launches sportier diesels in Europe, but don’t expect them in the U.S.
