Audi wasn't very successful with the last A2. It's tall and round look made this Europe-only supermini the ugly duckling of the Audi family (and this was even during the time Audi was getting mixed results with the introduction of the trapezoidal grille on its sedans.) The car was finally killed off in 2005 and few wept.

Audi wants another chance at the small car, but it also thinks its learned it lesson. Audi's head of Research and Development Michael Dick told Autocar that the new car will “be recognisable as an A2 but very different from the old car.” Also the cost will be spread across the Volkswagen Group. “We will not make the same mistake as with the first A2 and do it all by ourselves,” said Dick.

Audi also plans to make an electric version of the car immediately available. This means it will take a little longer to develop than a conventional car. Although Volkswagen is getting ready to produce the Up, a small car with hybrid possibilities, Dick says Audi won't utilize that platform. The A2 will be larger than the Up, and so the A2 will be based on “a group platform of the next generation”.

The largest question that arises from the A2's rebirth is doesn't the A1 already fill that space in the lineup? The answer lies in the car's function. While both will occupy Europe's popular supermini car category, the A1 will be sportier and compete with cars like BMW's Mini->ke57, and the A2 will fill a more functional kind of role same as a Mercedes A-Class->ke452.

Just like the first A2, don't expect this one to reach much farther than Europe.

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