The Audi TT Will Return As An All-Electric SUV
Do you remember when Mitsubishi brought back the Eclipse as a weird SUV that no one actually bought? I know sports cars are a dying breed as everyone wants to turn up to the school carpark in the latest four-wheel drive, but does this mean Audi really needs to kill off the TT?
That’s right, Audi is destroying what we know the TT to be – a great, fast and enjoyable sports car in a compact but aggressive shape – and is instead replacing the two-door chassis with that of a big SUV. And, just to kick us while we’re down, it’s going to be all-electric.
As the Audi e-Trons have shown us, they still look incredibly sports and aggressive, but the low slung coupe shape of the TT will be discarded and banished to the history books. The SUV replacing it will be branded the eTTron, and will start the transformation of the Audi lineup to incorporate only cars that don’t dine on the juices of dead animals.
With a proposed length of 4.35 metres and sat on the same chassis as the VW ID 3, it will be slightly smaller than the Q3 but a lot lower. The interior will also boast major changes with Audi removing all physical buttons and switches entirely, with the driver relying on a Tesla-like touch screen to adjust settings.
Prices will remain similar to that of the current TT at around £45,000, and a number of variants will be available each with different power outputs and ranges. This doesn’t come as a surprise due to rumours of the TT being replaced by an SUV for some time, but now it’s confirmed, we can’t help but wish we’d bought one and added to the dwindling sales that the German sports car has been experiencing.
With the TT, however, the electrification will be challenging. The battery in the floor is a significant problem as the battery pack will affect the seating point, Audi board member for technical development has confirmed. The design solution is likely to take some time, whether Audi chooses to transform the TT concept or to split the battery. Either way, if you are looking for an electric Audi that is fun to drive, you won’t match the coupé elegance of the TT. The bonus takeaway, though, is that the current e-Tron model goes from 0 to 62 mph in under six seconds, which is close to the TT’s performance. Nevertheless, this is an official goodbye to the TT as we know it.
I suppose we can only blame ourselves.
