add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Apo AII / Apolipoprotein AII / Apo A2 / Apolipoprotein A2 Assay... kamiyabiomedical.com | Fit Digital Hearing Aid Melody A2 " hearingaidscentral.com | INHIBITORS OF PHOSPHOLIPASE... ljpc.com | and Lymphangiogenesis in Cancer (A2)... biotechsciencenews.com |
 The Audi A2 (internally designated Typ 8Z[1]) is a premium compact MPV styled five-door four- or five-seat hatchback[1] designed supermini, produced by the German automaker Audi AG from June 2000 to 2005.[1] Based on the Audi Al2 concept car first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997,[2] the A2 was notable for being constructed from aluminium. Trim variants in Germany and mainland Europe included: 'Advance', 'Style', 'High Tech', 'S line'; whereas in the United Kingdom, they included: 'Standard', 'SE' (for 'Special Equipment'), 'Sport', 'Special Edition' (2005 only). The last cars left Audi's Neckarsulm 'aluminium plant' in August 2005.[1]
[edit] HistoryThe A2 was produced at Audi's "aluminium" Neckarsulm plant in Germany.[1] It was the first five-door vehicle on sale in Europe whose average fuel consumption is less than 3 litres per 100 kilometres (94.2 mpg-imp; 78.4 mpg-US), although these figures only applied to a special "3L" version with a diesel engine, automatic gearbox, stop-start system, less power and narrower tyres. Due to the construction, the average A2 weighs less than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). [edit] StylingThe A2 was a surprise when it debuted only two years after the original AL2 study. Many initial reviews, including those from 'What Car?' and 'Autocar' in the UK commented on the design. Autocar's initial drive verdict: "The best thing about the A2 is that it isn’t merely a design exercise. Yes, it’s a great car to look at, sit in and touch, but it’s also a riot to drive" [3]. The avant-garde styling did not, however, win favour with some potential customers. Audi was reported to be disappointed with the level of sales; the final production was 176,377 [4] units. This is in comparison to rival Mercedes-Benz' A-Class sales of 1 million. [edit] Design, engineering and constructionThe overriding theme in the design and engineering of the A2 was summarized by the then Audi UK product manager in an interview after the car won a design award in 2001 as "create a small Audi, not a cheap Audi"[5], and the creative brief is said to have been “Transport four people from Stuttgart to Milan on a single tank of petrol”.[5] The A2 is built using considerable aluminium and aluminium alloy content, providing significant weight advantage over similar sized cars. This helps the car to be significantly more economical than vehicles using traditional steel monocoques; under certain circumstances, consumption of just over 2 litres per 100 kilometres (140 mpg-imp; 120 mpg-US) is possible. The Audi A2 won the Nordic Countries "EcoRun" economical driving race in 2005 with consumption of 2.62 L/100 km (107.8 mpg-imp; 89.8 mpg-US). Even the normal petrol engined versions are capable of 5 L/100 km (56.5 mpg-imp; 47.0 mpg-US). The A2 was also notable for being the first Audi model since the 1970s Audi 50 not to be offered with its' 'trademark' quattro four-wheel drive option. The A2 has coefficient of drag: 0.25 - 0.29 depending on model[6]. The A2 still uses a contemporary unibody construction, with significant elements of space frame principles[7], and it is tagged by Audi as an 'Audi Space Frame' design. The outer panels of the body have little or no structural function - similarities exist with the original Renault Espace - and the space frame bears the forces working on the car. The frame uses casts and extrusions which are laser welded together to make the space frame. Improvements in shell stability, durability and stiffness, lower weight, and better interior space are evident as a result of this design decision. "The A2, on the other hand, was designed as an aluminum car and the spaceframe has been optimized by parts consolidation, using large, cost-effective castings instead of aluminum stampings"[8]. Unfortunately, the cost of working with aluminium, particularly with small production runs, meant that the A2 was more expensive than its competitors. This may have contributed to the relatively slow sales in conjunction with the dearth of marketing from Audi. Audi was the first manufacturer to try and incorporate lightweight building concepts using aluminium and associated alloys into a "mass market" vehicle; the previous efforts at using the Audi Space Frame were limited to the rather more expensive Audi A8. As a guide to the mass involved: the entire shell weighs so little that two people can easily pick it up; the side panel over the doors including the A- and D-pillars weighs approximately 2 kilograms (4 lb). A 2002 model A2 with standard equipment has a mass of 895 kg (1,973 lb). The A2 can, however, thus be considered a trailblazer for various newer aluminium-based vehicles, such as the second-generation Audi A8 (D3) and Audi TT, and the X350 Jaguar XJ and 2006 Jaguar XK. [edit] InteriorThe A2 has a large interior space for the exterior dimensions, including a boot, at 1,141 litres (40.3 cu ft), which is larger than the next model in Audi's range, the Audi A3. This is due mainly to the "sandwich"-type construction, similar again to that of the Renault Espace or the Mercedes A-Class, which enables the floorpan to have an upper and a lower portion. The space in the middle is used to house various components, such as the fuel tank and the engine's electronics. The rear passengers also benefit, as their foot space reaches into this sandwich space, creating a comfortable seating position even for tall rear seat passengers. This is in direct contrast to the comfort available on the rear bench of an A-Class. To improve the weight distribution of the vehicle, its battery is located inside the boot, under the floor. The A2's interior was very upmarket in comparison with other superminis. In both the UK and Europe, there were several choices of seat material and colour. Material-wise, you could choose from the standard Matrix cloth, optional Cirrus cloth, optional Alcantara/leather, or full pearlNappa leather seat coverings. On the Sport models, you received sports seats with electrically adjustable lumbar support as standard in Jaquered satin cloth. You could have most seat materials in a choice of red, blue, beige, pale grey, dark grey or black. Individual options were also available such as vivid yellow, red or blue seats, steering wheels, gear lever and handbrake lever. The color.storm models introduced in 2003 brought vivid colours to both the outside and inside of the A2, including "papaya" orange. The A2 had many innovative ideas - such as the space floor storage system which was a box that slotted in the rear passenger foot well, a rear cup holder which unclipped and a double (false) floor boot where items could be hidden from thieves. The headrests also do not need to be removed from the rear seats when they are folded, and a four-seater can have the rear seats removed in a matter of seconds. [edit] Service Hatch / "Serviceklappe"The front of the car included an unusual design feature called the "Serviceklappe" in German — this translates to "service hatch" or "service panel". On early cars, this was a glossy black panel at the lower edge of the bonnet (hood), where the radiator grille would normally be sited. Behind it are the filling points for oil and screen wash fluid, and the dipstick. Thanks to these features, in the daily use of the car the bonnet does not need to be raised. The bonnet was widely rumoured to be sealed — Car&Driver wrote: "...feature of the A2 that may foretell the future: the sealed hood". Actually, the bonnet is easily removed, being held in place by two twist-lock catches. The around 8 kg heavy bonnet then comes away from the car altogether, unlike the usual hinged flip-up arrangement on most other cars. Due to the service flap, the need to gain access to the internal combustion engine is minimal. [edit] Facelift and additional modelsThe service hatch is the most obvious indicator of the age of any particular A2. It was changed to matte black for the "color.storm" colour schemes, and for model year 2004 it acquired fake grille slats. It is, however, relatively simple to change, so should not be taken as a reliable age indicator.[9] Very little else was changed externally during the life of the car. Colours and roadwheels designs were changed mildly during the production run. The only other external indicator of the age of the car is the windscreen wiper; very early models have a traditional blade, where newer ones have a "flex" version ("Aerotwin" from Bosch, model 760). This change was made for model year 2002. [edit] Changes and additions [10][edit] 2000-2001
[edit] 2002-2003
[edit] 2003-2004
[edit] Special versionsAudi also has a version of the A2 in its Neckarsulm plant which has been converted into a pickup truck by trainees — the "A2 Caddy". This was on public show for the first time at the A2-Club of Germany's annual meeting in Amberg, Germany, in August 2005. Pictures of the event are available on the German A2-freun.de site linked below. Audi also released an S line version in Germany - with larger wheels, sports seats, special half-leather seat coverings and steering wheel and lowered suspension. In the UK, the last Audi A2's were badged as special edition models featuring a parcel shelf, climate control and a CD player free of charge. [edit] 1.2 TDIThe Audi A2 1.2 TDI had the lowest drag coefficient of any car in the world at the time of its launch.[11]. It was also one of the most economical and lowest polluting, only emitting 89g/km of CO2 emissions. Two versions of the car were available in Germany during its production run. The 3L version, which used only 3 L/100 km (94 mpg-imp; 78 mpg-US), was "standard". This version had no power steering, climate control or other extras, with the only optional extra being body coloured door handles and wing mirrors. The reason behind having no optional extras was that every option adds weight and loses economy. For this reason the fuel tank was also only 20l. The second version, which was at least available in Germany, was a 1.2TDI version which, though not possessing 2.99l/100 km economy was still capable of 3.2l/100 km. This version had options for climate and other extras but was not available in all markets. On both versions, the glass was thinner, the seats were lighter [12] and smaller wheels and tyres were used, with the standard fitment being only 145/65R14 Bridgestone Ecopias using very flat wheelcovers to minimize turbulence. The engine block was also made from a light alloy despite it being a diesel. The rear spoiler was reshaped, moved and extended through wind tunnelling to achieve a 0.25 cd figure. Additional underbody panels were also added to achieve this.[13] The car had an automated manual transmission which had a Tiptronic mode and a clutch which engaged when the accelerator pedal was released for maximum economy. The car also had an ECO button, when engaged it limited the power to 30 bhp (22 kW; 30 PS) (excluding kick down)and programmed the transmission to change up at the most economical point. ECO mode also activated the start/stop function, a feature that was revolutionary back in 1999. [edit] ReplacementAlthough there has been no direct replacement for the A2, Audi is expected to launch a new supermini-class Audi A1 model in 2010.[14] [edit] Technical informationThe Audi A2 was available with the following internal combustion engines:
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
