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.
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.
