Audi won’t bring back the TT, it’s sporty all-wheel drive two-door coupe that died back in 2023. However, it is a source of inspiration for a new halo model that’ll draw inspiration from other iconic Audis as well. CEO Gernot Döllner recently alluded to the company’s return to the two-door sports car segment, which is has left since the demise of the TT and the R8, during the company’s 2024 financial results presentation.
The TT’s DNA Could Live On
Döllner was asked about a return to the two-door sports car segment, saying, “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.” However, per Autocar, the CEO also stated that expansion it wouldn’t be “appropriate” to allude to an expanded lineup while the automaker is simultaneously cutting 7,500 jobs. Still, the future is the future, and Döllner 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.” Döllner says the sports cars of Audi’s past, like the TT and Quattro, played an important role in the company’s history.
Audi Designers Love The TT
Döllner specifically mentioned the TT, and the company’s new head of design is also a big fan. Massimo Frascella joined Audi last year after years at Jaguar Land Rover, and is a fan of the first-generation TT’s very minimalist, Bauhaus design. Frascella also played a key role in the retro-revival look of the new Defender, which works quite well. “The absolutely fantastic aspect is that it 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,” said Döllner.
“I’ve discussed that car [the original TT] 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.”
— Audi CEO Gernot Döllner on design head Massimo Frascella
Minimalism will be a key aspect of Frascella’s work at Audi, from the sound of things. Döllner said Massimo tries to “take everything away that you don’t need for the expression.” These ideas also influenced the original TT heavily, but the CEO believes you can’t “copy” the past, and that the “essence” of Audi is going to be used to create something new. However, Audi has plans to stabilize the brand following layoffs, including ramping up production of new models like the A5, A6, Q3 and Q5 first.
TopSpeed’s Take
Audi hinted that the sports car could be electric, with Döllner saying the idea of an electric sports car has “a place” in the brand. Regardless of powertrain, the minimalist Bauhaus influences of a new TT inspired by the original sounds appealing. Audi’s performance models have gotten bolder, more aesthetically noisy, and brutalist over the last few years. To see the automaker tone that down a little and create something as pretty and “light” as the original TT’s aesthetic would be an interesting new direction for the brand that basically pioneered the big grille trend we see in so many new cars today.
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