Audi is preparing to launch a tiny crossover called Q2 … will the U.S. market see it?

By Ronan Glon February 16, 2016

The star of the Audi stand at next month’s Geneva Auto Show will be a tiny, entry-level crossover called Q2. The model was initially dubbed Q1 internally, but Audi renamed it at the last minute after it managed to convince Fiat’s Alfa Romeo division to part with the Q2 nameplate.

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.

2016 audi q2 news teasers specs rumors teaser 1

2016 audi q2 news teasers specs rumors teaser 2

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.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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