In less than two weeks the third-gen Audi TT will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. To tide us over until then Audi has released four sketches which give us a taste of what is to come.
It’s true that most new cars look better and more aggressive in drawings compared with final production models and, while we think that will remain the case with the new TT, we’re also expecting to like what we’ll see under the brights lights in Geneva.
Certainly, the interior of the new TT looks promising and advances automotive design in a small way with its innovative dash display, removing the need for a screen in the central console.
A small detail of note, too, is the move of the four-ringed badge from the grille to the bonnet, as we see on the R8.
Audi has gone into adjective overdrive in the press release accompanying these sketches, which you can read below. We’re keen to see the real deal and will update once we have the photos and details to hand.
Athletic and sporty with a compact format – Audi presents the new TT in Geneva
- Design line reminiscent of the first model generation
- Audi virtual cockpit and Matrix LED headlights are the technical highlights
- Interior design with light, sporty styling
Ingolstadt, 2014-02-20 – Taut and muscular, athletic and poised: In 11 days, the new Audi TT will be making its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show. For the third generation of the compact sports car, the designers have reinterpreted a host of ideas from the first TT generation from 1998 – in a dynamic, diverse way.
The front end of the new Audi TT has dominant horizontals. The Singleframe grille is broad and flat. Two contours form a V-pattern over the engine hood. The position of the four rings is also new: They now sit centrally on the hood, echoing the R8.
Struts divide up the large air inlets. The headlights repeat this motif – they are structured with divider struts acting as reflectors for the daytime running light. Audi can supply the headlights as an option with LED technology or its pioneering Matrix LED technology, where controllable individual light-emitting diodes generate the main beam.
Many details of the new Coupé’s profile are reminiscent of the first generation’s classic design. The sill contour forms a powerful light edge and the wide wheel arches constitute distinct geometrical entities. At the front, the wheel arch intersects the hood join, which continues over the door as the tornado line and extends all the way to the rear. The flat greenhouse looks like an entity in its own right. The shape of the C-post, with a slight kink, gives the TT a powerful, athletic look and enhances the impression of tension.
At the rear, too, horizontal lines reinforce the wide, sporty impression. The struts in the rear lights pick up on the headlights’ motif. They remain permanently on – another Audi innovation. The third brake light with a flat strip shape links the two units on either side. All engine versions have two large, round exhaust tailpipes in the diffuser. Like all Audi S models, the TTS features four tailpipes.
Inside, too, the styling is so light it almost seems to float, evoking the clean sports car character of the new Audi TT. The center console and door trims have flowing, matching shapes. Seen from above, the dashboard resembles the wing of an aircraft. The round air vents, a classic TT feature, evoke the engines and incorporate the air conditioning controls. This solution – and the elimination of the central MMI monitor, now replaced by the Audi virtual cockpit – pave the way for the dashboard’s remarkably slim architecture.
The third generation of the Audi TT, the design icon, has been systematically refined in every department, both inside and out – resulting in a pedigree sports car. It is particularly notable for its sharper lines, which have been defined very dynamically and precisely. Throughout the entire car, the interplay of surfaces creates incredible tension.