New Q2 won't nab Q3 buyers: Audi

Audi Australia denies its pint-size new Q2, which launches Down Under this week with a $41,100 starting price, will cannibalise sales of the larger Q3.

This is despite the fact the Q2 – the smallest luxury SUV currently available in Australia – is positioned just $1800 lower than the Q3, which starts at $42,900 for the two-wheel drive 1.4 TFSI.

All other Q3 models are all-wheel drive (quattro), with the next cheapest being the 2.0 TFSI quattro that costs $10,000 more at $52,900 (plus on-road costs).

Add to that a strong order book of more than 700 pre-orders for the Q2 – and capacity for 200 sales per month – and it's clear Audi's new baby SUV has the potential to outsell its bigger brother.

However, Audi Australia general manager of corporate communications, Anna Burgdorf, says the Q2 will appeal to different customers than the Q3, a larger replacement for which is expected within 12 months.

“There’s definitely a subtle difference in the target market,” she said.

“The appeal of the Q3 tends to be towards an older, more classical and elegant SUV-style owner, where the Q2 will be for the people who are looking for a point of difference, [who are] a little bit younger, or simply young of heart.”

The Q3’s price has remained largely unchanged since its launch here in 2012. But with an all-new, more highly specified model just around the corner, the Q3's low-$40K starting price could soon be over.

“We’ll need to wait and see when the [new] car comes,” cautioned Burgdorf. “It will have a different level of spec [to the current Q3] and it’s a little bit larger, which means it’s more focussed on that ‘design-oriented’ family customer.

“I think clearly within our range there’s different layers and different models, and because the Q2 sits at a certain entry point doesn’t necessarily mean that it will impact on the Q3,” she added.

The next-generation Q3 – which shares its underpinnings with Volkswagen’s new Tiguan – is tipped to be larger and more advanced, and could even include a plug-in hybrid variant.

Last year the Q3 range found 3634 Australian buyers, raking it third in its sales segment behind the BMW X1 (4090) and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class (3766).

You will be able to read the Australian Launch Review of the all-new Audi Q2 on Friday.