Published June 10, 2012
By Huw Evans
Although a pure electric city car with a range of 125 miles and designed to compete with BMW’s i3 seemed like a logical direction, it appears now that the Audi A2 eTron has been axed.
The reason? Executives at the Ingolstadt automaker believe the car – given its small stature and 40,000 euro premium price – won’t be able to sell in sufficient numbers to justify its development.
This view likely comes from disappointing European sales of other EVs such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf, despite generous government incentives designed to move them off dealer lots.
Not only that but it also appears that the A1 eTron, which used a small Wankel rotary gasoline engine to generate electrical energy has also been shelved, or at the very least, placed on the back burner.
Audi said the A1 eTron was designed to travel a distance of up to 31 miles on pure electric power, with the Wankel gas engine acting in concert as a range extender to boost distance up to 125 miles.
Car Magazine
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