When Audi first introduced the A2 in 1999, it was unlike almost anything else the company had produced. Small, lightweight and focused heavily on efficiency, it looked more like a vision of the future than a conventional premium hatchback. Now, more than 25 years later, Audi has brought the name back with the new A2 e-tron.

At first glance, it would be easy to see the new car as another electric hatchback. Look a little closer, however, and it becomes clear that Audi has deliberately looked back at the original A2 when designing its successor. The proportions are probably the most obvious connection. The new A2 e-tron has a tall, compact body with short overhangs and a long wheelbase, giving it a distinctive silhouette that immediately recalls the original. Audi has also brought back one of the A2's most recognisable features at the rear, with the rear window once again being divided by a spoiler. This feature has been seen recently from other manufacturers' products, such as Genesis with the GV 60.

It isn't a simple copy, though. The new car uses these familiar ideas as a starting point and combines them with Audi's current design language. The front has a modern interpretation of the Single frame grille the classic had, while slim lighting and smooth body surfaces give it a much more contemporary appearance. The original A2 was obsessed with efficiency. Its aluminium construction helped keep weight down, while its aerodynamic shape reduced the amount of energy needed to move through the air. It was the most efficient small car which could achieve a drag coefficient of 0.25. The new A2 e-tron is following the same basic idea, but with electric technology. Its aerodynamic shape gives it a drag coefficient of 0.24, while its most efficient version can use as little as 12.8 kWh per 100km and
travel up to 397 miles on a charge.

What is perhaps most impressive about this compared to other vehicles of this style is that efficiency hasn't been treated as something separate from the styling. Audi says details such as the enclosed underbody, aerodynamic wheels, wheelarch gap reducers and controlled air intake have all been designed to reduce drag. That makes the connection between the two generations more than just a visual one. The original A2 was designed around the question of how much car you could create while using as little material and energy as possible. The new A2 e-tron is asking a very similar question, just with an electric powertrain and modern technology.

There is also something quite fitting about Audi returning to the A2 name now. The original was never a huge commercial success, with production ending in 2005. Yet its design has become one of the more recognisable examples of Audi thinking differently. Perhaps that is why the new A2 e-tron doesn't need to completely reinvent the idea. Instead, it looks back to its roots of origin in the late 90s.