Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The show is about to begin. It’s a sequel, that could be a prequel, recast in new formats with an award-winning young director and the backing of a production house banking on a return to the fore. This is “TT Moment 2.0”.
SEQUEL, PREQUEL OR ALL OF THE ABOVE
The title is confusing right? Audi’s CEO Gernot Döllner coined the phrase “TT Moment 2.0” in a conversation he had with the German magazine Bild. He also said a lot more (analysis HERE), but if you only ever read the title tag line then it’s no surprise how you arrived at that impression.
Döllner’s Chief Creative Officer and design chief Massimo Frascella has also contributed fuel to the TT speculation. From Day 1 the Italian designer has been saying how influential the TT was for him, specifically the simpler, more geometric and arguably more pure design of that TT Mk1. That car left lasting impression on a young Frascella, one that remains today as he has been tasked with getting Audi’s mojo back.
Most recently, Frascella hosted an event at the brand design studio in Ingolstadt. Curiously, While Audi appears to have not pushed any messaging on the event to either PR or social channels, Massimo Frascella did share professionally shot images on his personal Instagram account that reveal a gathering including the first TT concept car, the original TTS concept, several scale design models displaying early iterations of the car, plus a row of assembled TT Mk1 specimens probably owned by local enthusiasts.
And while that’s all rad, what was most remarkable about the event was the inclusion of designer Peter Schreyer. One of several notable designers who had a notable hand in the design of that first TT, Schreyer went on to become the head of design at Hyundai before most recently retiring in 2023. He’s a big deal in the design world, and this marks his first publicly confirmed return to Audi where he spent so much of his career.
That all screams TT right. Sure… but it won’t be… I mean… it could be… but Döllner said it’s not in that Bild piece so I’d argue that’s bankable intel. And even though a first profile image of the car appears to have leaked, it’s important to remember details such as the name still aren’t known at the time of this writing.
THE CAR EXPOSED
The car was (and is) expected to be revealed at the Münich IAA on September 8th during the Münich IAA press day, though a new microsite from Audi Deutschland confirms that the car will actually drop Tuesday, September 3 in Milan. An included video shows several details of the car, hardly revealing but helpful legitimizing an image should one leak.
So then it leaked, what appears to be a profile image of the car leaked onto the internet apparently via Audi Canada prepping a cover change on their Facebook page and mistakenly taking it live.
What we can see appears legitimate. While I’ll hold off for now on giving impressions of the design until I’ve seen it from all angles and learned more, the reasons I think this is real focus on the consistency of the car with teaser details of the car in the video shown on the micro site, from a taillight design that appears similar to a rear end design that is likely windowless and louvered like the 2000 Audi Rosemeyer concept. It also appears to have a targa-style roof cut, which would explain why another obscure placement in the teaser video – the 2001 Audi TT Open Sky concept.
THE FORMAT
The project, also reportedly known as “TT Evo” and “Project C Sport” has been rumored for several years and on-again-off-again for most of that time (detailed HERE). As Porsche moved to create its first electric sportscar with the car commonly referred to as the “electric 718”, Audi, Volkswagen and even Cupra considered their own products.
According to one report, the Volkswagen Group’s next scalable electric architecture known as SSP (specifically SSP Sport) was the planned basis and many suggest that’s the hardware set this car will use, but Car Magazine’s Georg Kacher says no in his reporting, theorizing that Porsche couldn’t wait for the delayed SSP kit and moved forward on their own platform dubbed E-core.
Why’s that important? Well, Audi’s current MEB and PPE electric platforms are so-called “skateboard” architectures, meaning battery mass in the floor that results in a lower center of gravity, but typically taller designs. That doesn’t work in a sportscar.
In the case of E-core, batteries are said to be mounted behind the occupants so that seating is lower and closer to the road surface while maintaining a mid-engine driving dynamic. Of course, nobody can say for sure right now, but my money is seldom lost betting on Kacher and his formidable network. My instinct is inclined to agree with him.
Will we know for sure tomorrow? That’s unclear at this time. The focus of tomorrow’s event may very well be design only. Its location in Milan would suggest that, but I’d at least expect more details to be forthcoming by September 8th when the car is also expected to debut at the Münich IAA, a mobility show.