Audi scuttles A2 plans

Wave goodbye to the Audi A2, as the electric car concept first shown at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show apparently won't be making it into production. Sources have told Britain's Autocar that the lightweight Audi vehicle – originally destined to compete against the BMW i3 and the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class – was a good engineering study, but today's lackluster global EV sales are at least partially to blame for its demise.

Like its production predecessor, the original A2, the four-door concept shown above was constructed mostly of aluminum. The Audi concept also incorporated carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer and other lightweight materials to minimize mass – the four-passenger hatchback weighed just over 2,500 pounds. The 2011 A2 concept was engineered with a "sandwich floor" construction not entirely dissimilar to that of the original A-Class. The construction method allowed the A2's lithium-ion battery pack to reside beneath the passenger compartment, while its 114 horsepower motor drove a single-speed transmission sending power to the front wheels. After a reasonably quick four-hour charge, it was expected to deliver a range of about 125 miles.

Had the program received the green light, the A2 was expected to be released in 2014 as both a pure EV and as a plug-in hybrid.