IF THE forecasters are to be believed, we are all about to embark upon a mission of downsizing.
This is the process in which we ditch our big flash motors in favour of something smaller.
We do it in the name of economy, ease of parking, and a general reduction in overall running costs.
Company car drivers will also be doing it to save a small fortune in the tax liability that their cars incur.
A couple of years down the line these smaller cars will begin to flood onto the used market, which is where the vast majority of private punters source their vehicles.
The cars we are talking about are the classy small ones with masses of equipment.
They do everything that a larger one does, only on a smaller scale, and without the huge tax liabilities and running costs.
The diesel version of the A2 sells alongside the petrol model of identical engine size, within a format that is generally recognised as a mobile monument to perfect packaging.
The idea is to demonstrate that a car no longer needs to be big to be stylish, sophisticated, solid and safe.
Modern engineering techniques mean that it is now possible to miniaturise those virtues, and to package them within something no bigger than a MINI.
Being made from aluminium, the A2 is light enough to survive on small engines, whilst offering an excellent combination of fun and frugality.
You get as many safety and security features as any large car, and the equipment lists are just as long.
Using the accepted yardstick of size to determine a car's sector in the market, the A2 seems costly.
However, with the exception of the Mercedes A-class, no other micro model manages to achieve the same standards of quality and refinement.
In the case of the Audi, there are just four rather than five seats, which makes it pretty unique.
The rear roof-line is able to be sloped because the floor of the car is lower at the back than the front.
This means that even tall rear passengers can sit upright without rubbing their head on the roof lining, and there is adequate leg room too.
The seats are designed for just two people to sit abreast, rather than three, so they have more individual shape and offer better support.
The rear luggage space is larger than the average of cars in two classes above, and the rear seats can be folded completely flat to create even more.
For those who simply must have a car with five seats, the A2 comes with an optional rear bench to replace the individual seats, but that compromises its versatility enormously.
It has been designed for four, and is best suited to that layout, with two individual seats in the back.
Although the engine displays the usual diesel traits when cold, it is fine once on the move, with its 107mph potential making motorway cruising genuinely effortless.
Overall, it is an attractive package, if a mite pricey, and faces stiff competition from Nissan's impressive new Micra diesel, which costs about 50 per cent less
FAST FACTS
Audi A2 1.4 TDi
Price: £13,410
Mechanical: 75bhp, 1422cc 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-spd gearbox
Max Speed: 107mph
0-62mph: 12.3secs
Combined mpg: 64
Insurance Group: 5
CO2 emissions: 116g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 12yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint