Ingolstadt, Germany  - Audi's latest attempt at a city car, the three-door, four-seater A1 is set to spawn a whole range of premium compact models, the company has hinted.

"I think we could come up with a whole family of A1 models. We have plenty of ideas," Audi head Rupert Stadler told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "We've also got a few things in the pipeline from 2010 and a model or two in the compact car sector are certainly on the cards."

The A1 uses a a hybrid powertrain and is designed to be an upmarket runabout rather than a cheap and cheerful city car. It was unveiled as a concept car at the 2007 Tokyo show and a four-door concept version known as the A1 Sportback was shown at the 2008 Paris show.

Stadler's remarks may also herald the reintroduction of an A2 model to slot in beneath the current range which extends from the popular A3 saloon through to the luxury A8 limousine. The original aluminium-bodied A2 was discontinued in 2005 after sales failed to match expectations. Stadler said Audi was enthusiastic about developing a new A2, but would not introduce the car before the next decade. (dpa)