Original TT could inspire new Audi sports coupé

Audi is tipped to return to the sports coupé segment with a TT successor Audi boss says sports cars are "integral" for the brand, and new designer Frascella is a big TT fan Audi is considering a new halo model that rekindles the spirit of some of its most iconic sports cars - and the original TT is cited as a key potential source of inspiration. With the third-generation TT and R8 supercar retired over the last 18 months, Audi is currently without a dedicated two-door sports car in its line up for the first time in decades. But CEO Gernot Döllner has suggested that a re-entry into this segment could form part of an extensive overhaul of the company’s product line-up and positioning. Asked at the company’s 2024 financial results presentation whether he would consider re-adding a sports car to the brand’s portfolio, Döllner said: “For sure. That's part of the brand's DNA, and we have to find the right way, timing wise, to integrate it into our portfolio.” He suggested it would not be appropriate to hint at a portfolio expansion while the company is in the midst of a wide-reaching restructuring programme that includes 7500 job cuts, but said he has a "broad view on where Audi should be, and where Audi is heading - and thinking in that direction, sports cars are an integral part of such a set-up". He emphasised the important role that sports cars have played in Audi's past, citing 1980's all-wheel-drive Ur Quattro as a car that "really started a new era of automotive". He also highlighted the continued relevance of cars like the aluminium-based second-generation A8 and efficiency-focused A2 supermini on Audi's current line-up. But he also mentioned the first-generation TT as a car of particular importance, and said Audi's new design boss Massimo Frascella – who arrived in Ingolstadt last year following a long career at JLR – is a particular fan of the late 1990s coupé. "I've discussed that car so much with Massimo. That was an inspirational car for his whole career; when he was a young designer at Giugiaro, he took a day off when the TT was launched in Italy, went to the Audi dealer in Milan and sat in the showroom for a day just looking at the car. "The absolutely fantastic aspect is that he seems that he somehow had Audi in his mind for his whole career. Now is the time to let Audi out of the mind of Massimo Frascella." Notably, Frascella was heavily involved in the rebirth of the Land Rover Defender in his previous role, which nods to the legacy of its long-running 4x4 namesake while embracing a modern, minimalist new design ethos. Döllner says this approach to styling makes him a logical fit at Audi. "I would say he tries to optimise as much as possible, to take everything away that you don't need for the expression, and I think that's a unique talent." Notably, minimalism and functional design are defining tenets of the Bauhaus art movement that so heavily influenced the original Audi TT - suggesting that some of that car's defining characteristics could be reinterpreted for a new age. However, Döllner was emphatic that "you can't copy your past" as a car manufacturer. "You really have to analyse what the essence of Audi is, and use the essence to come up with something absolutely new. "These copies of successful cars of the past are definitely the wrong way," he continued, though he did say it was "thinkable" that Audi could bring back some historic nameplates. The TT launched in 1998 and sold more than 650,000 units across three generations over a 25-year production run, which came to a close in November 2023 with no successor in the frame. The V10-engined R8 supercar retired soon after, leaving Audi with no two-door coupés in its line-up for the first time since the Quattro launched in 1980. Even if Audi is planning a return to the sports coupé segment, however, it is not expected to be for some time. The firm's immediate priorities – following a turbulent 2024 which saw its volumes reduced and its profit margin squashed – are to bring a "future-proof" software architecture to market, benefitting from the VW Group's new joint venture with Vivian, and to successfully ramp up production of crucial new models including the A6, Q3, Q5 and A5 in 2025. After that, said Döllner, "then is the time to talk about the right portfolio in these niche areas". "The transition takes all our energy right now, and that definitely starts in the core segments," he added. "That's where we have to make Audi robust as the first step." He would not be drawn on a potential launch date for a new sports car, and when asked if Audi planned to preview its plans in this segment, he said only: "Not yet." Asked whether Audi could offer a dedicated sports car with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, rather than as a pure-EV, Döllner said he is "open-minded", but suggested electric power makes more sense in an "everyday use" context. "There's so much uncertainty that all this discussion delivers to the market, that I would say in the long-term, in the sports car segment, there will be a place for fully electric sports cars. Not for the track, but for crossing the alps and having fun on a country road, there's nothing to say against an electric car. "You have a coffee break, the cars recharge, and everything is perfect." Döllner spoke about the need for Audi to lean on "synergies" within the VW Group in certain segments – particularly at the lower end of its EV line-up where it shares platforms with Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat/Cupra – and said that there is scope for technical collaboration with Audi's premium siblings in more niche segments, too. "I was head of group strategy when the set-up was defined: for Volkswagen to lead the A0- and A-segment, and Porsche and Lamborghini to lead some areas for D-segment platforms, and Audi covering B-, C and D-minus platforms. We have that set-up, and we will use it intelligently in the future." He stopped short of giving any technical plans, but any compact Audi sports car would be a logical candidate to share components with Porsche's upcoming electric 718 Boxster and Cayman. As recently reported by Autocar, Audi also has plans for a third-generation R8 supercar, which would be based on the new Lamborghini Temerario plug-in hybrid.

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