The upcoming Audi A2 e-tron has taken another step toward its expected autumn debut, with a pair of lightly disguised development prototypes spotted parked outside the Comfort Hotel in Copenhagen. Photographed by Denmark’s Pro-Street.dk, the two test mules replace the heavy black-and-white camouflage seen on earlier prototypes with colorful e-tron graphics that leave little of the production bodywork to the imagination.
Although the two cars wear different liveries—one finished in pale mint with fluorescent yellow accents and the other in black, silver and purple—the underlying design appears to be identical. The colorful liveries that don’t seem to hide much and are clearly labeled suggest a closer-to-reveal status – we’re thinking public relations or marketing purposes. This wouldn’t be the first time, especially in the e-tron range, where Audi has used artful liveries rather than the simpler and more functional black and white camo we see on most other Audi test mules including earlier A2 e-tron test mules.
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The new A2 retains the upright proportions and cab-forward greenhouse that made the original 1999 model recognizable, while adopting Audi’s contemporary split-headlamp treatment, flush door handles and a full-width rear lighting signature. A distinctive two-piece rear window divided by an integrated spoiler also echoes one of the original A2’s most recognizable styling elements.
The updated camouflage also reveals several production details previously obscured. Both prototypes ride on aerodynamic five-spoke alloy wheels shod with Bridgestone Turanza tires, feature closed-off front bodywork with a lower cooling intake, and wear Audi’s illuminated four-ring emblem overtop a panel that is one of the most radical rethinks we’ve seen on Audi’s singleframe. In some ways, the car appears to be somewhat in between current Audi production car designs and future-forward designs seen on Concept C and Nuvolari.
That said, the car doesn’t appear to be full-blown Radical Next. The side graphics highlight pronounced rear haunches and a clean surfacing treatment that appears considerably more restrained than the recent Concept C and Nuvolari show cars, suggesting the A2 will be among the last new Audi models to launch before the brand’s next-generation design language fully takes hold.
While Audi continues to conceal the interior, the A2 e-tron is expected to become the brand’s new entry-level electric model, replacing both the A1 Sportback and Q2 in Europe. Reports indicate it will share Volkswagen Group’s MEB architecture with the forthcoming ID.3 Neo while commanding a premium befitting the Audi badge. An official reveal is expected later this year.
Whether the A2 makes it to North America hasn’t yet been confirmed, but we don’t place high chances on the car coming here. Neither small cars nor electrics seem to be winning formulas in the US and Canada as of late, so unless that changes the idea of a North American A2 is probably a bit too risky for Audi at this time.
Using the video as a guide, the images used in this story are renderings of the cars as they appeared in Denmark and are not actual photographs.
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