{"id":878238,"date":"2026-10-10T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=878238"},"modified":"2026-10-09T16:34:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T14:34:46","slug":"say-goodbye-to-these-2-cars-after-15-years-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/motoring\/878238\/say-goodbye-to-these-2-cars-after-15-years-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Say goodbye to these 2 cars after 15 years in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

German carmaker Audi will discontinue the A1 and Q2 from its showrooms in South Africa after more than a decade in the local market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audi confirmed in March 2026 that it would end production of the A1 and Q2, with neither model set to receive a direct replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Production of both vehicles officially ended in April, which means that South African buyers will only be able to purchase them while the existing local stock lasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision forms part of Audi\u2019s wider strategy to concentrate on larger, more profitable premium vehicles rather than smaller and more affordable models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audi CEO Gernot D\u00f6llner previously told<\/a> Autocar that there would \u201cdefinitely be no successor for the A1\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The A1 remains listed on Audi South Africa\u2019s configurator, with the latest A1 Sportback 30 TFSI available in Advanced, S line and Black Edition specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prices range from R530,900 to R593,390, although these models are expected to disappear from the local market once dealers sell their remaining stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The A1 first arrived in South Africa in 2011 as a three-door hatchback, and offered buyers a smaller alternative to Audi\u2019s larger models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was initially available with 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engines, as well as a 1.6-litre TDI diesel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audi then expanded the range in 2012 with the five-door A1 Sportback, which became the more practical option for local buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A facelift followed in 2015, bringing revised styling and a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder TFSI engine after the diesel option was dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Q2 launched in South Africa in 2017, and it became Audi\u2019s smallest SUV, sitting below the Q3 and targeting the growing demand for compact crossovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Q2 initially arrived with 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engines and distinctive styling intended to set it apart from Audi\u2019s larger SUVs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A facelift followed in 2021, after which the South African range was streamlined around the 35 TFSI, powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of a broader industry shift<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
The Audi Q2<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The withdrawal of the A1 and Q2 is part of a much broader change in South Africa\u2019s new-car market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 28 models have disappeared from local showrooms over the past two years as manufacturers have reassessed their product ranges, sales prospects and global strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kia discontinued the Rio across its right-hand-drive markets, while Honda replaced the WR-V with the Elevate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subaru replaced the XV with the Crosstrek, and Suzuki removed the Vitara as its Fronx and Grand Vitara covered its SUV range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other manufacturers have responded to declining demand for traditional passenger cars. Toyota discontinued the Corolla Quest, while Honda ended the Ballade and BR-V. Lexus also dropped the RC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volkswagen discontinued its entry-level Amarok, while Nissan ended production of the NP200, a long-running small bakkie that struggled to meet modern requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some withdrawals have also reflected global changes in the motor industry. Jaguar announced a major shift towards electric vehicles, while Audi has been simplifying its range and moving away from some of its smaller models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the remaining A1 and Q2 stock is sold, Audi will effectively leave South African buyers without a direct small-car equivalent in its range, marking the end of a 15-year era for Audi in South Africa. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

German carmaker Audi will discontinue the A1 and Q2 from its showrooms in South Africa after more than a decade in the local market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":569682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"failed","_sma_x_autopost_error":"Instagram publishing failed: Instagram returned HTTP 400: Media ID is not available","_sma_x_post_id":"2108935853129048332","_sma_facebook_post_id":"191437357620492_2232668747553524","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11119],"tags":[7883,853],"class_list":["post-878238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring","tag-audi","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/878238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=878238"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/878238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":878256,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/878238\/revisions\/878256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=878238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=878238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=878238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}