The Audi A2 was the Audi supermini notable for its extensive aluminium construction.
Produced from 1999 to 2005, the A2 was a five-door, supermini-sized hatchback built around Audi’s lightweight aluminium technology. Its body used an aluminium-intensive structure influenced by the Audi Space Frame concept, reducing weight and improving fuel economy compared with a conventional steel-bodied car.
The A2 grew from Audi’s Al₂ concept, shown in 1997, and was engineered at Audi’s Neckarsulm aluminium plant. Its lightest version, the 1.2 TDI, used a small diesel engine, automated manual transmission, stop-start technology and narrow tyres. That version could achieve exceptionally low fuel consumption for its era.
The car was technically sophisticated but expensive to build, and its unusual tall shape and premium pricing limited sales. It is sometimes confused with the later Audi A1, which replaced it in Audi’s small-car range but used a conventional steel structure rather than the A2’s distinctive aluminium approach.