2020 Audi Q2 India launch in September
Since launching the flagship Q8 SUV and A8 L sedan earlier this year, Audi is now planning in the coming months to step things further up a notch. Multiple model launches have been lined up by the German brand for 2020, with the Q2 SUV set as the sales engine. The Q2, debuted at the Geneva motor show in 2016, has long been a competitor for our market.
The Q2 is Audi’s smallest member of the global SUV range and, as the name suggests, it slots below the next-gen Q3, which in the coming months is also India-bound. Based on the MQB architecture of the VW Group, the Q2 measures 4,191 mm in length, 1,794 mm in width, 1,508 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,601 mm.
Although immediately recognizable as a standard Audi SUV / crossover in terms of design, the Q2 sports a range of tailor-made styling touches that give it a unique character. There is a wide, single-frame grille up front flanked by a pair of chunky headlights. The black cladding over the bumpers, wheel arches, and running boards gives it a rigid feel. International models even come on the C-pillar with an R8-style blade that can be opted for in multiple finishes. A big tailgate and square-ish tail-lamps give it a squat stance at the rear.
The 2020 Audi Q2 cabin is built on the vocabulary of Audi’s preceding-gen interior design. While it may lack the sheer flash value that modern Audi cabins bring, with a neatly executed design, it does compensate for this. The main highlights include turbine air vents and a high-set multimedia screen that can be controlled via a center console rotary dial. Given the compact size, passengers have been able to consider the room at a premium. Boot space for front-wheel-drive models is valued at 405 liters, but the Quattro all-wheel-drive model we’ll get sees the capacity drop to 355 liters.
With the range-topping technology model features such as LED headlamps, alloy wheels, ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof, Audi’s ‘MMI Navigation Plus’ infotainment system with integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging and a digital instrument cluster of 12.3-inch ‘Virtual Cockpit,’ the 2020 Audi Q2 will be introduced in our market at five-trim levels. Multiple airbags, ABS, electronic stability control and traction control will be provided as standard safety package.
Audi’s entry-level SUV will only be launched in the 40TFSI style package in a 2.0-liter turbo-petrol engine with a 190hp/320Nm battery. It will provide adequate firepower for the Q2 to reach the 100kph mark in 6.5sec (claimed) from a standstill and advance to a top speed of 228kph. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission paired with the Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system can do the transmission duties.
Order books are scheduled to open officially in August, but some dealers have already begun taking reservations for the new edition. Expect prices in the Rs 35-48 lakh range (ex-showroom), which would make the 2020 Audi Q2 the point of entry to Audi’s Indian range. As such it will be compared mainly as a compact SUV for first-time buyers of luxury vehicles.
Being half a size smaller than the entry-level SUV offerings of competing brands, such as the BMW X1, Volvo XC40, and the new Mercedes-Benz GLA, the 2020 Audi Q2 will have no like-for-like rivals on our market.
