audi a2 main630 01

audi a2 main630 01

It’s no secret that Audi has ambitious goals to become the world’s leading luxury auto brand within the decade and is planning to boost its lineup to 42 different models by 2015. Later this year we will see a new Q3 compact SUV, as well as the recently revealed 2012 Audi A6, but further down the track there will even be a successor to the all-aluminum A2 hatchback and this time around it will reportedly be offered with advanced electric and plug-in hybrid drivetrains.

Like the previous generation of the car, sold in Europe between 1999 and 2005, the new A2 is thought to be a tallish practical hatch that will sit between the A1 and A3 models in Audi’s lineup. It will also feature aluminum in its construction, but this time only for its body and not its platform as well. In this way Audi will be able to keep the car at a reasonable pricetag, solving one of the biggest issues of its expensive predecessor.

As for its platform, Audi will utilize the Modular Querbaukaste (MQB) being developed for the MkVII Volkswagen Golf and destined to spawn a host of other models including the next-generation Audi A3 and now the A2 as well.

Audi A2 1999-2005

Audi A2 1999-2005

This low-cost and flexible platform will be capable of spawning electric and plug-in hybrid drivetrains. The electric version should have a range of about 150 miles on a single charge and an output of around 75 to 110 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid model will likely feature a downsized three-cylinder engine, either gasoline or diesel, and should offer an electric-only range of about 40 to 60 miles.

Unfortunately, the very cool Wankel rotary hybrid drivetrain of the original A1 e-tron concept, a vehicle thought to be a preview of the new A2, has been ditched, most likely due to cost restrictions. Nevertheless, the Audi A2 should give BMW’s upcoming i3 a run for its money when it arrives in early 2015.

No word on whether this A2 will be offered in the U.S. but by the time 2015 arrives, anything is possible.

[Automobile Magazine via MotorAuthority]