The Audi TT Thread

Audi reveals the Concept C as a preview of a simpler future for its electric cars

Audi is clearing the clutter. In what can only be called a major shift for the German automaker, the company unveiled its new design direction in Milan - a philosophy it calls "radical simplicity." The first physical example of this new thinking is the Audi Concept C, an all-electric, two-seat sports car that does away with complicated lines and busy surfaces.

Audi leadership insists this isn't just a solitary concept vehicle, but it's a new beginning for the entire company, affecting everything from future EVs to its corporate structure.

The Concept C itself is a striking vehicle that looks both futuristic and strangely familiar. Its most defining feature is an upright, vertical grille, a design cue inspired by the legendary Auto Union Type C race car from 1936. This new frame forms the center of the car's face, replacing the wide, aggressive grilles that have dominated car design for years.

The rest of the body is smooth and monolithic, with a single, strong shoulder line defining its shape. The car, painted in a color called "Titanium," features a new light signature with four horizontal elements in each headlight and taillight, a look destined to become the new face of Audi on the road. For open-air driving, the Concept C uses an electrically retractable hardtop, a first for an Audi roadster, which allows it to maintain its clean shape when the roof is up.

 
'China speed at Ingolstadt': Audi eyes 2.5-year 'TT' EV development

As prototypes of new two-seater begin testing, VW Group CEO Oliver Blume says ardent ICE fans "have to drive it"

Audi is already testing prototypes of its new electric sports car ahead of its planned launch in 2027, as part of an accelerated development programme that will be just 30 months from sign-off to showrooms.

The radical new Concept C previews a successor to the Audi TT, which will be in showrooms in two years and is set to be the quickest-developed car the German brand has yet launched - setting the tone for a new strategy that aims to match Chinese competitors on pace.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told Autocar that the Concept C is about showcasing new design cues and technology "but also speed".

"China speed at Ingolstadt comes with that car - around 30 months development time, which is really a revolution for us, to develop a car at that speed."

 
Audi Previews Future Sportscar with Concept C

Audi has unveiled the Concept C, an all-electric sportscar previewing the German marque’s future design language.

Audi has unveiled the Concept C, an all-electric two-seater sportscar previewing the German marque’s new design language. The Concept C’s sleek sheet metal embraces a minimalist approach, while featuring an electrically retractable hard-top roof.

The new convertible concept’s design language showcases what a futuristic Audi TT could have looked like. Though, whether this car is, indeed, a new generation of the latter car remains to be seen. The Concept C’s most striking innovation lies in its lighting signatures. Both the headlamps and taillamps integrate four linear, horizontally aligned elements that define the car’s futuristic look. The front facia features a rectangular grille that is flanked by large vents.

At the rear, the Concept C features three horizontal slits where a rear window would normally be, along with a subtle diffuser that is integrated into the lower bumper. The show car is finished in a shade Audi calls Titanium.

 
Merc design boss: Audi Concept C interior “looks like it was designed in 1995”

Gorden Wagener weighs in on the new German car interior war. Does not hold back

Yesterday we asked what you thought of the new interiors previewed by Audi, BMW and Mercedes at the Munich motor show. And just for fun, we also put the very same question to Merc design chief Gorden Wagener, because why not fan the flames of competition between the German big three?

“I was working for the Volkswagen Group until 1997, then I went to Mercedes,” said Wagener as we fully expected him to decline to comment on a competitor’s product.

“That interior [of the Audi Concept C] looks like it was designed in 1995. It is a little bit too known, and there is too little tech. I have always claimed that I am a big fan of hyper-analogue things, but you cannot ignore a screen. When you have a small screen, you automatically send the message ‘congratulations, you are sitting in a small car’.”

Ouch. The knives are well and truly out.

 
The 2027 Audi TT will get fake gearshifts, might get five-cylinder noise... and won't be called TT

Concept C will morph into a proper car you can buy, and "leaves room" for a new R8, according to the boss

The world has reacted to Audi’s new Concept C… and it’s a mixed bag. Dive into the comments of our detailed article here, and YouTube walkaround film here, if you dare, but please wear a hard hat and steel toe cap boots. We sat down with Audi CEO, Gernot Döllner, at the Munich motor show and grilled him on the new TT, or not TT, as it turns out.
“We are quite happy with the feedback. Some people have questioned solutions and features but I think that’s positive, because you need discussion,” Döllner told us before doubling down on the fact that it will make production, and the car you see is ‘90 per cent there’.
“During my time at Audi, I will only present concept cars that have a decision to be produced. We have a clear production decision for this car and we are working on realising it by 2027.”
To the name, which us and pretty much everyone else gleefully predicted would be TT. “It sits almost precisely in the middle between TT and R8, so it’s not a successor to the TT - it will not have the TT name. We were so fast in developing the concept we didn’t have time to find a name, so called it Concept C,” Döllner said, shattering our dreams.

 
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