sadly Audi killed that quite a few years ago, iirc when they were launching the second gen A1 they explicitly mentioned that they wouldn’t release any higher performance variants of it :(
It's a neat little car, and VW/Audi have always traditionally made very fun small cars....it's a shame to see this one disappearing. Or, you know, there's always the madlad route like this one with a DAZA....lol.
This was foretold years ago and confirmed also more than a year ago, finally happening. I work at a car rental and we had A1's for a year and are nice little cars for a rental fleet and people loved them but VW group prefers us to buy Polo or Seat Ibiza I guess.
I get why though, the A1 and Q2 existing made the brand feel cheaper than BMW and Mercedes for starters. "VW with a leather upholstery".
i lived in cologne germany for 5 year. was so awesome, i want to live there again. wasn't tied to a car just had my vintage pugeot road bike. bih was quick.
The A1 had a very funny trim called the "citycarver" - Essentially a factory lift kit, but directly marketed at the type of guy who parks badly and runs curbs and what not.
A3 has one too. I wonder why the market doesn't have that much raised hatchbacks. Out of the mind i can only bring up like every Dacia in Stepway trim and FIAT Tipo, Panda Cross
The cross in a trim, not a different body style. Same as the other trims: Allroad and Allstreet for Audi, AllTerrain for Mercedes, Active for Ford, Stepway for Dacia and so on.
One thing is a car with higher suspensions and plastic padding all around (like my Focus Active - which is still a Focus), a different thing is a MODEL based on another car.
The Puma has the same platform as the Fiesta, the Yaris Cross is a crossover based on the small Yaris ecc ecc. They are just different cars on the same platform, not different trim of the same CAR.
For what it's worth. Here in europe crossover means a raised hatchback. Seat arona and yaris cross are crossovers / raised hatchbacks, a bmw x1 is a suv here.
If you are american or used to the american car sizing, they list a volvo xc90 as a crossover, here in europe it's a suv since we lack the landboats of america.
I say this as someone who has driven a hatchback (skoda fabia), a raised hatchback / euro crossover (seat arona) and a suv / usa crossover (volvo xc60), the arona is far closer in terms of driving dynamics to the hatchback than the suv. I will classify the arona and other cars similar to it as raised hatchback because they are not suvs, they are too small for that.
I was never claiming that arona was a hatchback. I was claiming it was a raised hatchback which is also called a crossover in europe. A lot of online sources also call the arona for example a raised hatchback so i am not pulling anything out of my ass here. Hatchback and raised hatchback are two different categories but a car with different trims might fall into both if the car has a crossover trim.
The american definition for a crossover includes what we would also call suvs, like volvo xc60 etc. I fully agree those are not raised hatchbacks anymore.
I genuinely do not know what your issue is anymore because you keep missing what my comments are even saying and arguing about what i didn't say.
VAG sells the VW Taigo, VW T-Cross, Seat Arona and Skoda Kamiq which pretty much fall into the "raised hatchback" category. If you're after something slightly bigger then you can also get the Audi A3 allstreet.
Again, that’s a whole different car tho. I am talking about hatchback with trims that make them look “rugged”. One thing is a trim, a different thing is a different model based on the same platform.
For example, Ford has the Puma which is a lifted Fiesta with a different body, but also has the Fiesta Active which is still a Fiesta but with plastic ornaments and higher suspension.
The Puma is a motel, the Fiesta Active is still a Fiesta.
Ford has a lifted version of all its non crossover cars. I drive a Focus Active (hatchback, there’s also a SW Active). They offered a KA Active and a Fiesta Active in the past.
I’m pretty sure that there’s a lifted version of their Tourneo and Transit too with the same trim name. Lol
In an increasingly global K-shaped economy people on the lower leg can't afford a new car no matter how inexpensive they are relative to more expensive cars. And people on the upper leg only buy nicer cars
The A class got a production extension until 2028 at end of last year. Demand in Europe for it is still quite good. The hideous B is ending this year though.
I think they thought that Smart will pick up those sales but that isn’t happening.
I wouldn‘t be surprised to see a new A class replacement being developed. Shorten a MMA platform a little, give it a hatch and shorter nose with smaller and you have a new A class
BMW fan here, but you can already see them let off the gas pedal with their latest models. They’re not putting as much effort into interior quality and fit and finish because they know the competition is weak
There must be BMW bots on reddit or something, bceause anytime someone points this out they get downvoted. The new generation of BMW interiors are horrendous.
All the germans brands are in a really bad space right now, but VW seems to be course correcting and the design language of Audi's next generation (i.e. the Concept C) seems like a course correction as well.
Honestly, I don’t know until I sat in one. Most people just post their opinions online without experiencing the product. Modern cars somehow often look better in person than on camera IMO.
It has nothing to do with asthetics and everying to do with design - namely the removal of physical controls, removing the instrument cluster in favor of a windshield screen that impedes visiibility, putting everything into a screen that's not even in an ergonomic position.
In 2011 I was ready to buy my first brand new car and the Audi A1 had just been introduced to Mexico. With the exchange rate it came out to about $20k usd.
I was close to purchasing it but what threw me off was that they would not agree to a fixed price at time of purchase but rather I would have to pay the exchange rate on the date it was imported to Mexico and having grown through the volatility of the Mexican peso I decided against it. I bought a 1 year old A3 with 9k kilometers for $19k.
Amazing car, poor dealership experience. Water pump went out at 14k kilometers. It had a S-tronic (DSG) 7, that ate clutch packs like candy and the valve body had to be replaced all within 30k kms. It was also a very noisy transmission, sounded like moving pebbles inside a can. Audi said it didn’t affect performance so it was fine.
What I did love about it was that you could feel the Audi luxury, but it was missing subtle features like a sunroof, it wasn’t the most loaded with features but it was exactly what my budget needed.
Or skoda or seat if in europe. The same engine, slightly different shape and different interior materials and different infontainment operating system. Audi A1/Q1 -> vw polo/tcross -> skoda fabia/kamiq -> seat ibiza/arona
Second gen A1 was a big letdown, the plastics and the cabin were awful compared to first gen model which actually felt premium(ish). Audi basically wanted to pay less for manufacturing this model while charging their customers the same or more.
Good. The sooner premium/luxury brands stop chasing financially-challenged customers trying to flex on a dollar menu budget, the sooner they can go back to making actual luxury cars.
Sure, but that's not what the A1 (or 120i, or A-class) are. They're often worse than less-prestigious models across every criteria while being priced higher, and the only reason to get one (with a few notable exceptions) is because you're willing to spend more while getting less all so you can have the big, highly visible badge.
The smaller cars are only bought in Europe and Europe is moving to EVs, seems like they’re just replacing the combustion versions with the E-Tron versions.
KidRed@reddit
These were never in NA so nothing lost here.
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
It’s still a loss for most world.
KidRed@reddit
Yes that is a possibility but I said here in NA.
shugokibrokenlmao@reddit
I see why the rest of the world hates us now lmao. so egocentric.
aprtur@reddit
Nothing lost with the Q2, but the A1 kind of sucks....means there's no possibility of a new S1, which was actually a pretty cool little subcompact.
Dachshand@reddit
Q2 was one the best Audi design in the last decade.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
Is this ragebait?
Dachshand@reddit
It’s a fact from someone educated in design.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
Or you’re a white English girl
Dachshand@reddit
People who think taste or knowledge about design have anything to do with gender can’t be reasoned with. Bath in your ignorance if you must.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
People who assume they know everything can’t be reasoned with. Bath in your ignorance if you must.
NecessarySudden@reddit
I had Q2 for a week as a courtesy car, it felt cheap as Octavia, but Skoda at least is good value cars
Dachshand@reddit
Octavia doesn’t feel cheap at all.
TS040@reddit
sadly Audi killed that quite a few years ago, iirc when they were launching the second gen A1 they explicitly mentioned that they wouldn’t release any higher performance variants of it :(
Crash458@reddit
Was that due to emission regulations or lack of profitability?
TS040@reddit
profitability I think? small “warm” hatches had decreased in popularity and I don’t think the original S1 was a huge seller either
aprtur@reddit
Yeah, but at least we had hope with a chassis being available. Without the base car there, it's even harder to make a case for it.
linknewtab@reddit
There are rumors that Audi is looking into building their own version of the ID Polo, which is A1 size.
Onkboy@reddit
Not exactly and S1 but the last A1 did exist with the EA888, basically a rebadged Polo GTI.
aprtur@reddit
It's a neat little car, and VW/Audi have always traditionally made very fun small cars....it's a shame to see this one disappearing. Or, you know, there's always the madlad route like this one with a DAZA....lol.
https://youtu.be/_Mh2N7C5Mog?si=IGP2guen7ovTPIPX
Terry___Mcginnis@reddit
This was foretold years ago and confirmed also more than a year ago, finally happening. I work at a car rental and we had A1's for a year and are nice little cars for a rental fleet and people loved them but VW group prefers us to buy Polo or Seat Ibiza I guess.
I get why though, the A1 and Q2 existing made the brand feel cheaper than BMW and Mercedes for starters. "VW with a leather upholstery".
long_fish3000@reddit
no one cares cause the na miata is better and cheaper ...
Bamboozled74@reddit
Why don't you sell your mini and buy more NA miatas? After all, they're better and cheaper aren't they?
VEGA3519@reddit
The circlejerk just works!!!
long_fish3000@reddit
gotta start the weekend with a shitpost
WitchHunterNL@reddit
Lol you should visit Europe
long_fish3000@reddit
i lived in cologne germany for 5 year. was so awesome, i want to live there again. wasn't tied to a car just had my vintage pugeot road bike. bih was quick.
Magnus_The_Totem_Cat@reddit
Me: Selling my NA was my greatest regret.
My boy: But I thought the sale allowed you to move across the country where you met momma and had me?!
Me: …
trail-g62Bim@reddit
I said what I said
Chrodesk@reddit
Ill say it again, everyone would rather a 2 or 3 year old A4 than a new A1.
Including audi finance.
Uptons_BJs@reddit
The A1 had a very funny trim called the "citycarver" - Essentially a factory lift kit, but directly marketed at the type of guy who parks badly and runs curbs and what not.
VEGA3519@reddit
A3 has one too. I wonder why the market doesn't have that much raised hatchbacks. Out of the mind i can only bring up like every Dacia in Stepway trim and FIAT Tipo, Panda Cross
BlackCatFurry@reddit
Seat Arona falls into this category too, it's basically a lifted Ibiza with some plastic added to the lower edges and wheel wells.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
No, that’s a whole different car.
BlackCatFurry@reddit
And fiat panda & panda cross aren't?
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
The cross in a trim, not a different body style. Same as the other trims: Allroad and Allstreet for Audi, AllTerrain for Mercedes, Active for Ford, Stepway for Dacia and so on.
One thing is a car with higher suspensions and plastic padding all around (like my Focus Active - which is still a Focus), a different thing is a MODEL based on another car.
The Puma has the same platform as the Fiesta, the Yaris Cross is a crossover based on the small Yaris ecc ecc. They are just different cars on the same platform, not different trim of the same CAR.
BlackCatFurry@reddit
For what it's worth. Here in europe crossover means a raised hatchback. Seat arona and yaris cross are crossovers / raised hatchbacks, a bmw x1 is a suv here.
If you are american or used to the american car sizing, they list a volvo xc90 as a crossover, here in europe it's a suv since we lack the landboats of america.
I say this as someone who has driven a hatchback (skoda fabia), a raised hatchback / euro crossover (seat arona) and a suv / usa crossover (volvo xc60), the arona is far closer in terms of driving dynamics to the hatchback than the suv. I will classify the arona and other cars similar to it as raised hatchback because they are not suvs, they are too small for that.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
I am Italian, I live in Milan. I know what a crossover is.
A crossover is still a different MODEL than their hatchback counterparts.
BlackCatFurry@reddit
I was never claiming that arona was a hatchback. I was claiming it was a raised hatchback which is also called a crossover in europe. A lot of online sources also call the arona for example a raised hatchback so i am not pulling anything out of my ass here. Hatchback and raised hatchback are two different categories but a car with different trims might fall into both if the car has a crossover trim.
The american definition for a crossover includes what we would also call suvs, like volvo xc60 etc. I fully agree those are not raised hatchbacks anymore.
I genuinely do not know what your issue is anymore because you keep missing what my comments are even saying and arguing about what i didn't say.
Quaiche@reddit
Audi A4/6 all road is essentially a fancy version of this principle.
There used to be a Golf Cross trim, too.
There was a lot of these, they eventually fell out of flavour for real crossovers and SUVs.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
They also had the Skoda Octavia “Scout”. Amazing thing.
Modders14@reddit
VAG sells the VW Taigo, VW T-Cross, Seat Arona and Skoda Kamiq which pretty much fall into the "raised hatchback" category. If you're after something slightly bigger then you can also get the Audi A3 allstreet.
VEGA3519@reddit
Not exactly. If we compare A1 Allstreet and Q2 to the base A1, the A1 Allstreet is a trim, while Q2 is a different vehicle based on A1.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
Again, that’s a whole different car tho. I am talking about hatchback with trims that make them look “rugged”. One thing is a trim, a different thing is a different model based on the same platform.
For example, Ford has the Puma which is a lifted Fiesta with a different body, but also has the Fiesta Active which is still a Fiesta but with plastic ornaments and higher suspension.
The Puma is a motel, the Fiesta Active is still a Fiesta.
Apprehensive_Lake351@reddit
Ford has a lifted version of all its non crossover cars. I drive a Focus Active (hatchback, there’s also a SW Active). They offered a KA Active and a Fiesta Active in the past.
I’m pretty sure that there’s a lifted version of their Tourneo and Transit too with the same trim name. Lol
AnonymousEngineer_@reddit
Interesting that Audi didn't reuse the Allroad badge for that thing, given it's similar in concept if not size.
kurtthewurt@reddit
The Citycarver was my favorite of the A1 lineup! It looked so fun
coffeeshopslut@reddit
With nyc roads, I'd rock it
franksandbeans911@reddit
Sounds like it would be built to withstand potholes that US cities are full of.
TrafficOnTheTwos@reddit
That thing looks so badass
unsaltedbutter@reddit
My mom needs something like that.
Quick_Coyote_7649@reddit
Love this. They should just have that on all of their models
Puzzleheaded_Can9159@reddit
My wife needs to replace her Audi that would be a great idea lol.
7ECA@reddit
In an increasingly global K-shaped economy people on the lower leg can't afford a new car no matter how inexpensive they are relative to more expensive cars. And people on the upper leg only buy nicer cars
L-Malvo@reddit
They really are handing the market to BMW, aren’t they?
A1 cancelled, so the Mini basically has no more competition. The A class got cancelled. The new C class won’t get a wagon variant.
I like BMW’s more than Audi and Mercedes, but come on, competition is healthy.
Parcours97@reddit
BMW 1 series has been a joke ever since they got rid of RWD.
takao-obi@reddit
The A class got a production extension until 2028 at end of last year. Demand in Europe for it is still quite good. The hideous B is ending this year though.
I think they thought that Smart will pick up those sales but that isn’t happening.
I wouldn‘t be surprised to see a new A class replacement being developed. Shorten a MMA platform a little, give it a hatch and shorter nose with smaller and you have a new A class
argothewise@reddit
BMW fan here, but you can already see them let off the gas pedal with their latest models. They’re not putting as much effort into interior quality and fit and finish because they know the competition is weak
Fiveby21@reddit
There must be BMW bots on reddit or something, bceause anytime someone points this out they get downvoted. The new generation of BMW interiors are horrendous.
All the germans brands are in a really bad space right now, but VW seems to be course correcting and the design language of Audi's next generation (i.e. the Concept C) seems like a course correction as well.
L-Malvo@reddit
Honestly, I don’t know until I sat in one. Most people just post their opinions online without experiencing the product. Modern cars somehow often look better in person than on camera IMO.
Fiveby21@reddit
It has nothing to do with asthetics and everying to do with design - namely the removal of physical controls, removing the instrument cluster in favor of a windshield screen that impedes visiibility, putting everything into a screen that's not even in an ergonomic position.
L-Malvo@reddit
So you have driven one and can make such claims?
SargentoPepper@reddit
In 2011 I was ready to buy my first brand new car and the Audi A1 had just been introduced to Mexico. With the exchange rate it came out to about $20k usd.
I was close to purchasing it but what threw me off was that they would not agree to a fixed price at time of purchase but rather I would have to pay the exchange rate on the date it was imported to Mexico and having grown through the volatility of the Mexican peso I decided against it. I bought a 1 year old A3 with 9k kilometers for $19k.
Amazing car, poor dealership experience. Water pump went out at 14k kilometers. It had a S-tronic (DSG) 7, that ate clutch packs like candy and the valve body had to be replaced all within 30k kms. It was also a very noisy transmission, sounded like moving pebbles inside a can. Audi said it didn’t affect performance so it was fine.
What I did love about it was that you could feel the Audi luxury, but it was missing subtle features like a sunroof, it wasn’t the most loaded with features but it was exactly what my budget needed.
OkDirection8015@reddit
I mean they were kinda pointless. If you wanted something small and cheap you would just buy the VW version.
Quaiche@reddit
The idea isn’t to have something of cheap.
A luxurious small car is something a lot of people want but the market is dying every day.
VW, Seat and Skoda only offer shitty interior trims compared to what Audi offered for their two generations of the A1.
BlackCatFurry@reddit
Or skoda or seat if in europe. The same engine, slightly different shape and different interior materials and different infontainment operating system. Audi A1/Q1 -> vw polo/tcross -> skoda fabia/kamiq -> seat ibiza/arona
costafilh0@reddit
Bring a premium A1 to market, AWD, 5CL, cool rally wheels, it will sell amazing.
duhmetree@reddit
Shame about the S1, that thing was a proper pocket rocket.
bwoah_gimmethedrink@reddit
Second gen A1 was a big letdown, the plastics and the cabin were awful compared to first gen model which actually felt premium(ish). Audi basically wanted to pay less for manufacturing this model while charging their customers the same or more.
morkielover2022@reddit
lol every brand just wants to sell $80k SUVs now. The A1 was actually a solid little car, kind of a shame to see it get the axe.
Dachshand@reddit
The A2 is around the corner and a electric A1 based on the Polo might come in the future too.
Jlx_27@reddit
Didn't they announce this in 2020 already...
the_lamou@reddit
Good. The sooner premium/luxury brands stop chasing financially-challenged customers trying to flex on a dollar menu budget, the sooner they can go back to making actual luxury cars.
simon2517@reddit
It's perfectly legit to want a small car that is also nice. (At least if you live in a European city.) "Flexing" doesn't have to be the point.
the_lamou@reddit
Sure, but that's not what the A1 (or 120i, or A-class) are. They're often worse than less-prestigious models across every criteria while being priced higher, and the only reason to get one (with a few notable exceptions) is because you're willing to spend more while getting less all so you can have the big, highly visible badge.
dissss0@reddit
Yeah but for that to work the car needs to be legitimately nicer than the cheaper variants.
A1 had the same mostly crappy engine and transmission options as any of the cheaper VAG offerings
shugokibrokenlmao@reddit
what in the world are you talking about lmao 😂😂😂
angeluscatalan@reddit
Loved the A1 1st gen in its era. All the curves, the little package in general. Even the Basic versions look cool. It aged very well like any Audi.
The 2nd gen is more expensive and the looks generic, like another VW Polo cousin.
DanMasterson@reddit
The only ones I was ever interested in. Oh well.
JB_UK@reddit
The smaller cars are only bought in Europe and Europe is moving to EVs, seems like they’re just replacing the combustion versions with the E-Tron versions.
evosthunder@reddit
Closest I came to an A1 was in NFS: World when they were given out for free. It was my team escape champion. RIP.
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
It’s Audi its Cimarron but with hatchback body. When Alfa Mito is death, only Audi was still playing this segment.
BIZLfoRIZL@reddit
I was recently in Europe and fell in love with the latest A1. Such a nice looking car. Wish we had it in North America.
TrafficOnTheTwos@reddit
Aw that’s a shame. I rented an A1 a few years back in Italy and I really loved it.
oscik@reddit
Same, I rented A1 and Mini One within a week a couple years ago and the A1 absolutely blew the Mini off the surface in my books.