Twenty years ago, the Audi TT struck a nerve in the automotive and design worlds. Never before had it been possible to imagine that both form and function could come together in such an incredible way.
Subsequent facelifts and generations have come and despite being attractive and good to drive affairs, they never re-captured the love and admiration of the sports-car buying public. This forced Audi’s hand into re-thinking the TT and further exploring its potential.
Back in 2014, at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, Audi introduced the TT Sportback Concept. At the time, it may have seemed out of place however in today’s world where German 5-door sedans are all the rage, it makes perfect sense.
The business case is an easy one for Audi: Take everything about the TT that made it cool, such as the hyper-aggressive front end, flared arches, deep skirts and aluminum gas cap and slap it all on a stretched 4-door body. On top of that, brewing in some available hybrid technology will surely boost output without any fuel consumption penalties.
No matter what, the TT Sportback will surely outsell the current TT given its broader appeal. This sadly marks the end of an ear but as they say, all good things must come to an end.