Like rival BMW, Audi seems hell bent on filling every conceivable niche in its product lineup. The German carmaker says it will have 60 distinct models globally by 2020, and that expansion is set to start with some new crossovers.
A tiny crossover called the Q2 will launch next year, Audi confirmed in a statement announcing its expansion plans. The carmaker previously discussed a small model called the Q1, but made no mention of it in its latest statement. It’s possible that the Q2 will take the Q1’s place as Audi’s smallest crossover, or that Audi will actually build both. The Q1 could be more conventionally styled, while the Q2 could feature a “coupe” shape, a pattern already seen with larger vehicles.
That includes the upcoming Q6, which will likely be a “coupe” version of the Q5 or Q7, in the vein of the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The Q6 lineup will include an all-electric variant previewed by the e-tron quattro concept, which will probably lend some of its styling to the production car as well. The electric SUV will appear in 2018, although it’s unclear when other Q6 variants will launch. Audi expects plug-in cars to comprise a quarter of its U.S. sales by 2025, so the electric Q6 will likely account for a large share of production.
In the meantime, Audi will also unveil a redesigned, second-generation Q5 next year. There are no details on this model yet, but given the current Q5’s age, the timing is appropriate. In addition to the existing Q5, Q3, Q7 and the now-confirmed Q2, Audi will launch Q4 and Q8 crossover “coupes” at some point in the near future, according to Car and Driver. So like the New York Yankees, Audi will soon run out of single-digit numbers to assign.
