Audi is to end production of its A1 and Q2 models during 2025, despite them being the brand’s second and third biggest-selling models in the UK. It’s been known for some time that the smallest Audi models would not be directly replaced but now we have better visibility of when they will depart the scene.

Both are reaching the end of their life cycles and aren’t sold in the big markets of the US and China, so they will disappear from the Audi line-up despite their popularity in other countries. Worldwide, Audi sells more Q7s than A1s, and makes significantly more money on each car. The move is also designed to put more distance between Audi and sister brand Volkswagen, the premium and mainstream arms of the Volkswagen Group, with the A3 set to be the entry point to Audi’s line-up in the future.  

Audi should build enough A1 and Q2 stock to satisfy demand through towards the end of next year before cars stop rolling out of the factory. But it will be losing a pair of models that account for 15-20 per cent of its UK sales. 

In time, the Q2 will be replaced in the Audi range by a similarly sized electric SUV that will sit beneath the A4 e-tron. Priced at around £30,000, that car will compete with the likes of the Volvo EX30 and BMW iX1, although it’s not expected to reach showrooms before 2027. It will arrive at around the same time as the new A4, the electric compact executive model that will sit alongside the new petrol-powered A5 saloon and Avant. 

Next year’s big arrivals include a pair of plug-in hybrid versions of the new A5 and the all-new Q5 SUV - one of the brand’s big sellers. Both will be on the road in the first four months of the year, while the new A7 will also be revealed next summer and arrive in the UK before the end of 2025.