BMW has a lot planned for its new ‘BMW i‘ brand, which will launch with the BMW i3 in 2013. According to reports coming out of the UK, competitor Audi is planning a rival, which could debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The model will be based on the new Audi A2 and will debut in the form of an electric-car concept – most likely known as the Audi A2 e-tron.

The new Audi A2, the original model of which was axed in 2005, will keep the aluminum spaceframe chassis and will also keep its MPV styling.

Insiders told AutoExpress: “It will only be an electric car. Most battery models are compromised as they are built on rehashed architecture, but the A2 will be built from the ground up as a pure electric machine. The idea is so popular [at Audi] that it could even spawn a family of A2 electric models and become almost a standalone brand.”

If all works out as planned, the Audi A2 e-tron will hit markets in 2015.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoExpress