15 June 2001: A panel of judges from the UK design and advertising world has given a Silver Award to the Audi A2, only the second time the British Design and Art Direction (D&AD) has given an award to a car in the 39-year history of its awards – and the first was to an Audi TT Coupé.

D&AD promotes excellence in advertising and design and this year a total of 21,702 individual items were sifted down to just 122 nominations, and from these 50 Silver Awards and four Gold Awards were made. The A2 was the only vehicle of any kind to receive a trophy – other winning designs included the British Airways London Eye and the Apple Computer G4 Cube.

The Audi A2 is the first volume production car to feature a bodyshell built using aluminium, which reduces weight by over 40 per cent. It is also the first production car to feature a fixed bonnet which will generally only need to be opened by the workshop during routine servicing.

Despite its compact dimensions, it can seat up to five adults comfortably, helped by its innovative ‘Space Floor Concept’ - a split-level floor with rear footwells lower than those in the front - which liberates considerably more interior space and maximises comfort for rear seat passengers. BB