Audistyle icons of more than two decades, TTwill be scrapped when production of its current generation ends in 2023 – and the car will be replaced by a new take on the “emotional” model that will be larger and possibly four-door.
Audi’s senior management team has been engaged in lively discussions about the TT’s future for more than three years.
As recently as 2019, the company’s then-technical director Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler explained that the brand was exploring different ways of packaging the battery to see if they could deliver a sports car. compact electric or not.
However, Rothenpieler’s successor, Oliver Hoffman, has now confirmed to Auto Express that this solution has been ruled out, and suggests that Audi will use the switch to an all-electric vehicle to rethink the move. positioning its smaller sports car model.
“We wanted to add some very emotional cars to our portfolio, and we have some really good concepts,” said Hoffman. But a direct TT follower is not the answer. We can’t just say ‘We’re going to do TT electrically.’ To put it bluntly, getting a TT with a battery is not easy.
“Instead, we are asking: ‘What are the cars that match our feelings at Audi?’ and we want to fascinate. With TT, we have surprised our customers. They said: ‘What is this?’ There was no need for TT when we launched it. And this is what we want to do again, to surprise our customers.
“We are working hard on this concept and I am really happy to work with [Audi CEO] Markus Duesmann. We’re trying our best and hopefully we can surprise with that. ”
Audi sources have suggested that the TT’s indirect successor will be a larger model – and the declining sales of smaller cars and two-doors in general are to blame for the demise of the car. TT as we all know.
Our exclusive images show how Audi designers can take these principles, along with hints from EV concepts like the recent Grandsphere, and apply them to create a mini. e-tron GT – a vehicle with a practical four-door, but concealed by a more aggressive roofline than similar cars A3 pub and A4. Even so, the automaker will have to position itself carefully to set such a car apart from the upcoming A4 e-tron, which is supposed to have better looks to give Audi a direct rival to Audi. BMW i4.
The relevant timeframe also presents Audi with opportunities and challenges in platform choice. The logical option for a car the size of the current TT would be a MEB architecture like those VW ID.3 and Audi’s own Q4 e-tron. But the company can choose to wait, and base its new appearance on the SSP, a unified setup that combines components from the MEB with components from the PPE architecture that will underlie the Q6 e-tron. This can give more flexibility for battery packaging.
The third and final generation TT will have an extended shelf life when production ends, extending to nine years instead of the usual seven. It is conceivable that its nameplate will be scrapped entirely, reflecting changes in size, market trends and overall approach, as well as powertrain.
Check out our preview images of the new one Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept this…
