Something’s going on behind the scenes in Ingolstadt lately. Earlier this month, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and Volkswagen Group executives have reportedly greenlit the return of the R8. And now, the Audi boss has somewhat confirmed that the brand might be bringing back the TT name, too.
During the presentation of Audi’s 2024 financial results attended by Autocar, the Audi boss was questioned on reintroducing a sports car back into the brand’s portfolio – which Döllner says, “For sure.”
“That’s part of the brand’s DNA, and we have to find the right way, timing wise, to integrate it into our portfolio.” Döllner says.
The Audi boss also made a special mention of the brand’s past as a motorsport powerhouse. Particularly shining a light on the legendary Audi Quattro from the 1980s during the WRC days of old.
Interestingly, Audi’s current Head of Design, Massimo Frascella, has already taken a special interest in the Audi TT for a while now. Ever since the day it was released back in the late 1990s, in fact.
“I’ve discussed that car so much with Massimo,” said Döllner, “That was an inspirational car for his whole career. When he was a young designer at Giugiaro, he took a day off when the TT was launched in Italy, went to the Audi dealer in Milan and sat in the showroom for a day just looking at the car.”
READ: The most popular car on TikTok is the Audi TT!
That said, it should be noted that even if plans do come into fruition, Döllner expresses that the Audi TT may not be the small, two-door sports car as we all know and love it to be. The Audi boss says “you can’t copy your past” as a car manufacturer.
“You really have to analyse what the essence of Audi is and use the essence to come up with something absolutely new,” Döllner said, “These copies of unsuccessful cars of the past are definitely the wrong way.”
On sale globally since 1998, the Audi TT finally retired in November 2023 with the last unit ever built. Over 650,000 units have been built and sold by the German carmaker, but now without a successor in sight to take up the sports car’s mantle.
Both the Audi TTS and Audi TT RS – available in either coupe or roadster forms – run the same 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine, Quattro all-wheel drive (AWD) system, and seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission.
READ: Audi TT production ends after 25 years and 662,762 units
The Audi TTS generates 320 hp and 400 Nm of torque to all four wheels, with a 0-100 km/h time clocked in at 4.5 seconds and top speed of 250 km/h.
Meanwhile, the performance-oriented Audi TT RS variant runs hotter at 400 hp and 480 Nm of torque sent directly to the wheels, and with a faster century sprint time of 3.7 seconds before it tops out at 250 km/h.
Similarly, the Audi R8 also reached its end of service in 2023 right after its discontinuation in 2023, with the last R8 ever built last year in 2024. It wasn’t until just last week when we heard rumours that the four rings and VW will be bringing back the supercar, this time fitted with a Lamborghini-made hybrid V8 – twinned with the Lamborghini Temerario.
READ: The Audi R8 could be revived with a Lamborghini-sourced hybrid V8
