Audi to rapidly launch new A2 and Q9 models

AUDI has confirmed that it will imminently expand both ends of its model line-up with two new vehicles, developed in quick time, due for release abroad before the end of 2026.

Global chief executive Gernot Döllner recently briefed GoAuto about the Ingolstadt-based brand’s moves to adopt what it calls ‘China speed’ in internal product development processes, and those changes are already making an impact.

Confirmed to auto media during Audi’s annual media conference this week, the incoming A2 e-tron and Q9 large SUV models will respectively establish a new entry point for the brand’s battery electric (BEV) models while introducing a long-awaited upper-large crossover that replaces the A8 as the Audi flagship.

“With the new A2 and Q9, we are deliberately defining the boundaries of our portfolio—this allows us to present our customers with a clear range of options,” said Dr Döllner.

Audi’s reborn A2 will slot in beneath the Q4 midsize SUV as the brand’s most affordable BEV model, targeting the premium small electric segment occupied by rivals like the Mini Countryman and Mercedes-Benz EQA.

“With the A2 e-tron, we are bringing a highly efficiency entry point into electric mobility to market in (European autumn) 2026,” Dr Döllner announced.

Under the skin, the A2 may be less revolutionary than its aluminium space-framed progenitor of 1999-2005, but Audi confirmed the reincarnated BEV will focus on achieving among the best efficiency of any vehicle on the MEB platform.

Critically, the A2 will undercut the Q4 crossover, which is priced from 46,000 euros in Germany ($A74,000), and from $84,900 plus on-road costs in Australia—though there has been no confirmation yet that the A2 will launch locally.

Audi is expected to position the A2, which uses the fully-fledged version of MEB, clearly above the Volkswagen Group’s incoming MEB Entry models such as the Volkswagen ID.2 and Skoda Epiq, which are front-wheel drive and engineered on a more affordable chassis.

From a technical standpoint, the A2 is expected to retain the rear-wheel drive basis of MEB, leveraging the platform’s packaging advantages including space for larger batteries than what MEB Entry can offer.

While Audi has not confirmed Australian availability of the A2, the model could play a role in lowering the brand’s fleet-average CO2 emissions under tightening NVES requirements.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the new Q9 will become Audi’s largest and most luxurious model, targeting the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS while also addressing demand in North American markets for full-size, three-row vehicles.

The Q9 replaces the Audi A8 sedan as the four-ringed flagship, with Audi having made the call to retire its low-slung rival to the S-Class and 7 Series earlier this year, and mirroring an industry-wide shift away from traditional sedans to higher-margin crossovers.

Expected to be built atop the same stretched version of the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture as a forthcoming three-row Porsche SUV, the Q9 is likely to feature longitudinally-mounted powertrains with a mix of turbo petrol, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and potentially mild-hybrid V8 options.

For Australia, a PHEV variant is all but certain given NVES pressures, likely pairing a six-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor while delivering acceptable official CO2 emissions.

Locally, there is reasonable demand for upper-large premium SUVs, but deliveries in the segment trail those of crossovers one size smaller. In 2025, BMW led the market with 3673 sales of the X5 while it shifted 1125 X7 units.

The dual launch reflects Audi’s broader strategy under Dr Döllner’s leadership to accelerate development cycles by making better use of existing platforms, and by co-locating key project functions in more efficient teams with direct access to the board for rapid product approvals.