Audi will launch a new crossover positioned below its Q3 in 2016, the automaker confirmed today. To be called the Q1, the new crossover will fit in the subcompact segment and will compete against similar tall-riding premium vehicles like the Buick Encore and MINI Cooper Countryman. Production of the Q1 will take place at a plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, the same site where Audi builds the A3, A4 and A5.
In addition to the production confirmation, Audi released this single teaser image of its upcoming Q1. The teaser shows a five-door crossover with rugged looks and an aggressive grille similar to that found on Audi’s Crosslane concept car from 2012. A similar look is expected to feature on the 2015 Audi Q7.
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No other details on the Q1 were released, but according to previous reports the Q1 will be based on the platform underpinning the Audi A1. Front-wheel drive will be standard, with all-wheel drive possibly available as an option. Engines would be four-cylinder units.
“The Audi Q1 is part of our broad-based SUV strategy,” Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said in a statement. “It is designed on the basis of the modular transverse engine concept and will round off our Q series at the bottom end.”
Unfortunately, we’re unlikely to see the Q1 offered in the U.S. given Audi's reluctance to bring over the larger Q3, which was originally deemed too small for this market. The good news is that the introduction of the Q1 paves the way for the eventual arrival of the Q3 on these shores.
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