fzanetti Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Mini Fighter Audi's new A2 to be radically different from previous model http://www.autoweek.com/graphics/aw_spacer.gif By JASON STEIN | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS http://www.autoweek.com/graphics/aw_spacer.gifAutoWeek | Published 03/09/06, 3:03 pm et http://www.autoweek.com/graphics/aw_spacer.gif Advertisement OAS_RICH('Middle1'); <SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N2465.Autoweek/B1832339.2;abr=!ie;sz=300x250;click0=http://oas-central.realmedia.com/ RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.autoweek.com/news/latest_news/60306011/211459310/Middle1/crain/AWO_DUNLOP_300_0306/dunlop_300.html/30633966393437393433653866323630?;ord=211459310?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://oas-central.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.autoweek.com/news/latest_news/60306011/211459310/Middle1/crain/AWO_DUNLOP_300_0306/dunlop_300.html/30633966393437393433653866323630?http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N2465.Autoweek/B1832339.2;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=211459310"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N2465.Autoweek/B1832339.2;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=211459310" BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Click Here"></A> </NOSCRIPT> GENEVA -- Audi will launch a radically different A2 successor by 2008. The car will be aimed directly at BMW's Mini. "When we look at this segment it is clear there are a lot of customers who want a car below the A3," Audi Chairman Martin Winterkorn said in an interview at the Geneva auto show. "Mini has done well with its car. It has become more and more apparent there is demand there." Audi sources said the next-generation steel-body A2 will arrive by 2008 and will be based on the front-wheel-drive Volkswagen Polo small car. The A2 may offer all-wheel drive. Winterkorn said the A2 will closely resemble the Shooting Brake concept shown last autumn at the Tokyo auto show. The new A2 will have "that kind of style," Winterkorn said. "More emotion, more sportiness. A real eye-catcher that can become an icon." The first A2 was shown as the A12 concept at the 1997 IAA in Frankfurt. Audi started selling the production version in 2000 and marketed it as the first volume car with an all-aluminum structure. But it was E1,000 per unit more expensive to manufacture than a steel-body car and sold poorly. By 2003, Audi had decided not to replace the A2 at the end of its life cycle. Production ended in mid-2005. Only 22,028 units were sold in western Europe in 2004, down from a peak of 51,813 units in 2001. The new A2 is part of an Audi product offensive to raise its lineup to 40 models by 2015, up from 22. A new A2 also will heighten competition in the sales race between BMW and Audi. Audi has publicly said it wants to sell 1.4 million vehicles globally by 2015, up from 829,109 in 2005. In 2003, the BMW group said it wanted to increase the company's global sales to 1.4 million vehicles by 2008. But BMW says it is not concerned about competition from Audi. "The average revenue per car for Audi in 2004 was E21,000. For BMW it was E35,000 -- including Mini," BMW Chairman Helmut Panke said at the Geneva auto show. "Audi is playing in the junior league as far as revenue per car is concerned." - Tony Lewin contributed Cheers, Flavio ZanettiBoston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzanetti Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 And the pic finally!!! Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 meh. It looks like the shooting brake bodystyle of the new TT... Volvo C30 looks better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewster Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 pic you show is a version of the TT, here's the A2... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Pimp Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Damn that is fugly ... like a euro Scion XA or something. It has nothing on the styling of the Mini that is for sure. Keep that crap in Europe Audi, you already have a hard enough time selling $30K A3's as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praedet Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 very ugly, probably overpriced, and bad reliability... God I love audis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Audi - if you are listening, bring this and you might get my money over a second Mini Cooper S http://www.carlsworld.co.uk/img/s3ylw/pic2.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Audi - if you are listening, bring this and you might get my money over a second Mini Cooper S http://www.carlsworld.co.uk/img/s3ylw/pic2.jpg looks like a VW golf http://legacygt.com/forums/images/icons/icon13.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 yes - same platform, but turbo and AWD Great competitor to the Mini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt_ltd Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 looks like an old school civic hatchback This Space For Rent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iyalla Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Why is it taking so long to bring over the 4 door golf already:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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