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Mini is in the cross hairs for the second-generation Audi A1
Audi has an all-new A1 on the way and it’s gunning for the Mini. No, not that Mini. The bigger one. The one with five doors. That’s because the entry-level model of the entry-level Audi is about to score more entry points, after the axing of the three-door model. If you think this is a playbook you’ve seen before, you’re probably right, because the Volkswagen Group twins the A1 with the Polo and 2017’s all-new Polo also dumped the three-door model. Due on sale only in the second half of 2019 in SA, the A1 will move from the 17-year-old PQ25 architecture to the smallest version of the Volkswagen Group’s latest MQB platform, the MQB AO. And squarely in Audi’s cross hairs for the second-generation A1 is Mini, which insiders admit means the new car will need a big jump forward in handling, comfort and refinement. And, evidently, size. The A1’s chassis roommate, the new Polo, has grown 81mm to reach beyond the 4m barrier and so will the A1. The Polo’s wheelbase grew 91mm to the 2,564mm d...
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