Audi lost roughly 4,000 pounds on every A2 sold, an aluminium-bodied car built to cross Stuttgart to Milan on one tank.
Lead trim: 1.4 16v (petrol I4, 75 PS) · up to 109 hp
Audi A28Z · 1999–2005
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Audi A2 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactAudi lost roughly 4,000 pounds on every A2 sold, an aluminium-bodied car built to cross Stuttgart to Milan on one tank.
The Audi A2 (internally Typ 8Z) is a compact MPV-styled supermini produced by Audi from November 1999 (for the 2000 model year) to August 2005, a five-door hatchback with four or five seats, designed by Luc Donckerwolke, based on the Audi Al 2 concept car first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997 and notable for being constructed from aluminium (an "Audi Space Frame" design with laser-welded castings and extrusions), built on a special line at Audi's "aluminium" Neckarsulm plant. The brief was "create a small Audi, not a cheap Audi" ("Transport four people from Stuttgart to Milan on a single tank of petrol"); the A2 was the first five-door vehicle on sale in Europe with an average fuel consumption below 3 litres per 100 km, though only the special "3L" version (diesel, automated manual, stop-start, less power and narrower tyres) achieved it, and the 1.2 TDI won the 2003 "Nordic Eco Run" fuel economy race with 2.62 L/100 km. It has a drag coefficient of 0.25–0.29, a 390-litre boot and was the first Audi since the 1970s Audi 50 and Audi 100 not to offer quattro. Because of the cost of working with aluminium the A2 was more expensive than rivals and sales disappointed: 176,377 were built against the Mercedes A-Class's 1 million, Audi lost an estimated £4,000 on every A2 (€7,530 per vehicle produced overall) and production was halted by Bernd Pischetsrieder. The 1.4 16v petrol and 1.4 TDI arrived in 2000 (the 1.2 TDI 3L in 2001 and the 1.6 FSI in June 2002, with a re-modelled rear spoiler and softer suspension tuning); the 90 PS TDI arrived in September/October 2003. The 1.2 TDI 3L (6,450 built) tied the lowest drag coefficient of any car at its launch, matching the first-generation Honda Insight, with an ECO mode limiting power to 41 bhp and activating stop-start, a light-alloy 100 kg engine block and 14-inch magnesium wheels, and reuses the engine and special gearbox of the Volkswagen Lupo 1.2 TDI 3L. Wheelbase 2,405 mm (94.7 in), length 3,826 mm (150.6 in), width 1,673 mm (65.9 in), height 1,553 mm (61.1 in).
Collectors Spotted in the Audi A2 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Audi A2 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 TDI 3L (turbodiesel I3, 61 PS) | 2001–2005 | 1.2 L Inline-3 | 60 hp | 103 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.4 16v (petrol I4, 75 PS) | 2000–2005 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 74 hp | 93 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.4 TDI (turbodiesel I3, 75 PS) | 2000–2005 | 1.4 L Inline-3 | 74 hp | 144 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.4 TDI (turbodiesel I3, 90 PS) | 2003–2005 | 1.4 L Inline-3 | 89 hp | 170 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| 1.6 FSI (petrol I4, 110 PS) | 2002–2005 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 109 hp | 114 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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