Audi has just made official what everybody already knew: it will soon expand its range of crossover models with a new small SUV named the Q1, with production to start in 2016 at the brand’s Ingolstadt plant in Germany alongside the A3 and the A4/A5 family.
“The Audi Q1 is part of our broad-based SUV strategy. It is designed on the basis of the modular transverse engine concept and will round off our Q series at the bottom end,” stated Audi CEO Rupert Stadler.
To understand why Audi wants to add another SUV in its lineup after the Q3, Q5 and Q7, all you have to do is look outside and see what kind of cars people are buying. If that’s not enough, then perhaps Audi’s numbers will provide a better explanation: from January through October, the brand with the four rings delivered 194,430 Q5s, an increase of 17 percent over the prior-year period. This year, SUVs will account for approximately 28 percent of the company’s total production volume, with that figure projected to rise to more than 35 percent by 2020.
Audi did not share any specific details about the Q1, and all we get for now is an overly futuristic sketch of a five-door concept. Nevertheless, since the Q1 will be a B-segment vehicle (think Nissan Juke), it should measure around 4-meters in length, and will likely ride on the VW Group’s flexible MQB platform architecture offering an engine range similar to that of the A1 supermini. Expect a concept version of the Q1 to break cover at an international auto show within the next year.
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