The Audi A2 was produced from 1999 until 2005 and was considered a premium subcompact vehicle. Audi produced the A2 in its Neckarsulm plant with the last units leaving the plant in July of 2005. The A2 was considered to be a vehicle that was deisgned ahead of its time, though the avant garde styling has not been well received by customers, disappointing Audi with the sales numbers. It's estimated that Audi produced 175,000 of the A2, and when they compare those numbers with the one million sales of the Mercedes A-Class which is the direct competition of the A2, it's understandable that Audi would be really dissapointed. Sales would never really pickup, leaving Audi with choice to cease production in 2005. The A2 was only sold in European markets.
The A2 was built using aluminum alloy content, which made the car much lighter than other cars in the same size calss. This light weight helps the vehicle to be more economical than it would be if it was built on a traditional chassis. While working with aluminum makes the car more economical in the way of gasoline consumption, it makes the vehicle more expensive because working with aluminum costs more. The retail price is a reflection of the increased production expenses, and this may have been another element of the poor sales numbers. Audi was the first manufacturer that attempted to use alumunim in mass market vehicle production, unfortunately it didn't seem to work well for the A2. The A2 consumed small amounts of gasoline and is said to get at least 94 miles to the gallon, but the price was a huge turn off despite the savings consumers would receive from the low fuel consumption.
