Audi Q1 Compact SUV in 2016: OFFICIAL

The Audi Q1 – a compact SUV based on the Audi A1 – has been officially scheduled for launch in 2016 as Audi seeks to grow its sales of SUVs.

It’s only a couple of months since we revealed that the Audi Q1 – Audi’s smallest SUV to date and based on the A1 – is heading towards Audi showrooms in 2016. And now Audi has confirmed it.

The new Q1 will add to Audi’s already burgeoning sales of SUV, with the Q3, Q5 and even the Q7, selling well, with the Q5 managing half of the 200,000 plus SUVs Audi sell each year all on its own.

So adding a cheaper and smaller SUV in the guise of the Q1 will help Audi mop up even more sales as more and more car buyers look for transport that is smaller and more economical – and makes them feel safe – without having to go ‘downmarket’.

The new Audi Q1 will be built at Audi’s plant in Ingolstadt – which currently produces the A3, A4 and A5 models – and should secure the future of the plant.

Audi hasn’t shared any details about the Q1, but expect to see a car the size of the Nissan Juke and with engines pretty much shared with the Audi A1.

And although a production Q1 isn’t due until 2016, there’s a good chance we could see the Q1 Concept long before 2014 is out.