Audi concept previews new TT
Newswheel staff :: 11 October 2005 :: Filed under Coupe, Estate/Wagon, Hatchback, Audi, Audi TT, Europe & UK, US,
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The German car maker has released pictures and details of the TT Shooting Brake concept, due to be shown later this month at the Tokyo show.
It’s hard to believe, but the first generation Audi TT has become a little humdrum. Hard to believe, that is, because at launch in 1998 the TT was stunning: the original concept-car-for-the-road. Whatever, an all new TT is due next year and this concept, produced for the Tokyo motor show which kicks off on the 19th, probably provides more than a clue or two on how the new model will look.
All Audi’s new-age styling cues are present, including a fresh take on “that” grille, the waist-height crease along the flanks and a pair of wrap-around rear light clusters. Of course, the concept also pays homage to the original TT courtesy of a clamshell bonnet which extends down to the top of the front wheel arches, a narrow greenhouse sitting above a high shoulder line and exaggerated wheel arches all round.
Not just a concept
Replace the extended roofline, upright tailgate and pillarless side aperture of this concept with an elegant sloping hatchback similar to the current car’s (and perhaps drop the vertical chrome strakes in the grille), and we reckon you are looking at the next generation TT: many of the panels including the doors, front and rear wings, forward half of the roof and the windshield arrangement look production ready. That said, a Shooting Brake variant of the next TT has not been ruled out – Audi says it will make a decision following the car’s Tokyo debut.
Technology-wise, the concept sports a mix of current VW group kit along with some fancy showbiz extras. Power comes from the familiar narrow-angle V6 in 3.2-litre, 250bhp trim, while the fab 19-inch rims are a development of the light weight alloys fitted to Audi’s incumbent top-performer, the RS4, and conceal a set of ceramic brake disks. Interestingly, the concept is an old school manual clutch-and-fiddle-stick motor rather than a paddle-shifting, dual-clutch DSG item. As for the chassis, it mixes Audi’s tried an tested Quattro all-wheel drivetrain with a new electronically adjustable suspension setup known as Audi Magnetic Ride.
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Posted 02 April 2007, by Rolando