It would seem that the small Q2 crossover presented in 2016 has set the lower limit for the development of this type of car in the Audi range. Meanwhile, according to recent reports, already in 2020, the German brand intends to present even smaller Q1. The car will be built on the basis of the second generation of the city A1 and may turn out to be the smallest car in the entire premium class.
We heard the name Q1 for the first time a few years ago, when after the debut of the compact Q3 (in 2011), it seemed clear that Audi wanted to develop the range of crossovers. Rumors about the work on the smallest car of this type confirmed in 2015 photos of masked prototypes. According to the current brand nomenclature, in which SUVs and crossovers received odd numbers, the new Audi city car was baptized as Q1. It seemed that the name given by the automotive media is certain.
A sudden turn
Surprisingly - shortly before the premiere of the smallest crossover, Audi announced that the first such urban vehicle will be called Q2. The brand communicated in this way that the small crossover is not only the last word of the Audi in the crossover class, but it does not have to be the basic model of the range.
After completing the range of representatives from the classic Audi segments, it launched an offensive of niche models under the Q. Even this year we will get to know the top Q8, and additionally recently it turned out that in contrast, in just two years, the brand can present the smallest, basic Q1 - this time really the smallest.
Premium in size XS
The fact that Audi did not abandon the Q1 emblem also proves the registration of this name in the patent office. According to the report of the British AutoExpress portal, the German premium brand wants to introduce the micro-crossover in 2020. The car is to be developed on the platform of the upcoming second generation of Audi A1, that is on the proven architecture under the sign MQB.
Moreover, it is very likely that the smallest car in the SUV and crossover range may turn out to be the smallest car in the whole premium class. Like Q2, without competition. The trend that prevailed among premium car manufacturers means that recently we are dealing with a large expansion into smaller segments. And although it only reached the compact class, Audi is not going to wait and is one step ahead of the competition. And soon, they will be two steps away.!