What: Audi “Ringo” (A2) Prototype
Model Family: A2 (type 8Z)
Debuted: N/A
Year: 1995
Number Produced: 1
Model / Generation Code(s): type 8Z
Chassis / Matrix: A04, PQ24
Engine: unknown
Transmission: unknown
Power: unknown
Peak Torque: unknown
Acceleration (0-100 km / 62 mph: unknown
RELATED
Concept Cars: Al2, Al2 Open End, A2 e-tron
Road Cars: A2 (type 8Z)
Race Cars: none
SUMMARY
In the early 1990s, Volkswagen Group set a corporate objective to design and produce a passenger car that met ambitious fuel-efficiency targets through the application of lightweight construction and advanced aerodynamics. Audi, which had already gained experience with aluminium through the flagship A8 and its Audi Space Frame (ASF), took the lead in applying this technology to a smaller, mass-market vehicle.
DEVELOPMENT
By 1995, Audi’s design and engineering teams had produced a prototype codenamed “Ringo.” The study was created in collaboration with the company’s aluminium competence center at Neckarsulm, where ASF technology was being developed and refined.
The two-door concept anticipated many of the themes that would later define the production Audi A2, introduced in 1999. Its compact proportions, tall-roof packaging, and lightweight construction were early indicators of Audi’s approach to reconciling interior space with efficiency.
DESIGN
The exterior design of the Ringo prototype was directed by Luc Donckerwolke, working with Gerhard Pfefferle. The interior was overseen by Stefan Sielaff, who would later go on to lead Audi design in the 2000s. The prototype’s form was already close to that of the final A2, though with a two-door configuration rather than the eventual four-door production layout.
LEGACY
The Ringo prototype represented a key step in Audi’s experimentation with aluminium-bodied compact cars. It demonstrated the feasibility of applying ASF construction principles to smaller vehicle classes and set the stylistic and engineering groundwork for the Audi Al2 concepts shown in 1997 and, ultimately, the production Audi A2 (1999–2005).
SEE ALSO
- Audi A2 (1999–2005)
- Audi Al2 concept (1997)
- Audi Al2 Open End concept (1997)
- Audi A2 concept (2011)
- Audi AI:ME concept (2019)
- Audi A2 e-tron (2025 anniversary concept)
PHOTO GALLERY
