Audi’s CEO has confirmed that production of both the A1 and Q2 – effectively its 2 most affordable models – will end in 2026, with no direct successors planned…
While we knew as long ago as 2022 that Audi had no plans to replace the A1 and Q2, the German firm’s CEO has now confirmed production of its 2 most affordable nameplates will indeed end in 2026.
Speaking to Autocar, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the Ingolstadt-based automaker “will end production of the A1 and Q2” next year, adding that “there definitely will be no successor for the A1”.
However, Audi will does have plans to launch a fresh entry-level electric vehicle (in Europe at least), with Döllner telling the British publication the newcomer “will enter production next year”. Autocar speculates that the A2 badge could be revived for this as-yet-unrevealed EV.
In South Africa, the A1 Sportback line-up – which these days comprises just 2 derivatives – serves as the entry point to the brand, kicking off at R528 400. The likewise 2-strong Q2 portfolio, meanwhile, starts at R748 280, though is interestingly undercut slightly by the base Q3 35 TFSI at R740 100.
In 2024, Audi registered 463 units of the A1 Sportback in Mzansi, along with 894 examples of the Q2. The only Audi nameplate that outsold the latter locally last year was the Q3 Sportback on 918 units (beating even the standard-bodied Q3, which managed 763 sales).
Currently in its 2nd iteration – and sharing its underpinnings with the Kariega-built Volkswagen Polo hatchback – the A1 dates back 2010 (with the SA launch of the original taking place in early 2011), meaning this nameplate’s 2-generation production run will have spanned 16 years by the time it’s retired in 2026.
The single-generation Q2, meanwhile, will have enjoyed a decade-long lifecycle, having first started rolling off the assembly line back in 2016. As a reminder, the Q2 launched in South Africa back in February 2017.
With Audi SA recently having pushed the facelifted A3 range upmarket (pricing now starts at R808 200), the Q3 would theoretically inherit the role of the German firm’s entry-level model locally once the A1 and Q2 bow out. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that a new-generation Q3 is set to be revealed later in 2025, with its positioning not yet known…
