Radical Audi TT concept leaked ahead of reveal tomorrow
Posted by V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 124 comments
First look at Audi's retro new design manifesto, set for public debut at Munich motor show
bazhvn@reddit
Oh wow so they build new Jaguar now
Agloe_Dreams@reddit
Sigh. Nobody actually realizes that this is referencing classic Audi concepts purely because the Jaguar design badly ripped them off.
This references the Avis, Rosemeyer, and classic Auto Union designs.
EarthOk2418@reddit
Audi hired Jaguar’s head of design about a year ago and this is his first concept. So there’s good reason this concept resembles that horrific Jaguar Type 00 abomination.
https://www.carscoops.com/2024/02/jlr-head-of-design-massimo-frascella-moves-to-audi/#:~:text=15-,by%20Thanos%20Pappas,debut%20in%20the%20near%20future.
strongmanass@reddit
This comment chain is just one wrong assumption after another. Type 00 is basically a very contemporary (or technofuturistic depending on your perspective) take on the E-Type. Top and side. The bonnet lines, rear diffuser, and "prism case" all reference the E-Type.
The Audi concept doesn't pull from the same language at all.
EarthOk2418@reddit
Bruh I don’t care where the marketing team said the inspiration came from, if you let that go and just look at them both as “cars” from “XYZ manufacturer” they clearly have similar design language.
strongmanass@reddit
They don't have similar design language. They have some similar superficial features because they're from the same era. But saying they have similar design language is like saying the Mercedrs 300SL and BMW 507 have similar design language because they're both curvy roadsters from the 1950s.
ad895@reddit
Id say thoes both have the same design language....
strongmanass@reddit
What do you mean by "design language"? The 300SL and 507 have some similar features because they were contemporaries. But that's not what "design language" is. It's how different companies take the same elements that make most cars identifiable as belonging to the same era and apply them to their specific cars to differentiate them from their competitors. You can see different design language in the SL's upright grille to the 507's shark nose, for example.
ad895@reddit
OK going back to the original comment you replied to and your reply. No cars on the road look like this audi concept or the jaguar. Id say having a low slung ev with hard edges and paper thin headlights and a boxy aesthetic i think could be considered a design language. Now if every new car starts looking similar, does that mean they no longer share a design language? I think a good example would be tesla when they facelifted all of their cars to remove the grill. Id say that was teslas design language, but now its kind of a thing that all manufactures do on their evs. Or for example on their current model y they are adding a similar light bar as the cyber truck. Design language? Well hyundai has something similar on the accent.
strongmanass@reddit
The Jaguar isn't on the road either. What you describe are styling elements that have been present on some cars for a few years now. It's just the current trend in car design. BMW, Rolls Royce, and Audi all have cars with thin headlights. The 7 series is boxy. So is the Phantom. The Cybertruck has hard edges.
EVs not having a grille isn't a design language. It's just a functional element on ICEVs that's not needed on EVs. An EV having a grille is more indicative of design language than one not having one - e.g. Rolls Royce Spectre.
A design language is an abstract concept determined by a group of designers. Generally, no two companies have the same design language. Styling elements are the manifestation of the design language. Cars can look similar but comr from design languages. It's like convergent evolution. Dolphins and sharks evolved independently but have similar physical features for efficient swimming.
PotatoDrives@reddit
I have never seen this comparison, thank you. Makes the concept/rebrand make a lot more sense.
RandomGenName1234@reddit
People wouldn't hate it as much if Jag themselves did that lol
bitofrock@reddit
They hate it because they're scared of pink.
Seriously. In black the car looks evil.
mintz41@reddit
No there isn't
Agloe_Dreams@reddit
Is there? Massimo was seemingly not involved with the Type 00.
Car-face@reddit
...the Jaguar design that came before this, that referenced the E-type, ripped of this? Or ripped off unrelated Audi concepts?
Because both takes are pretty out there TBH.
Design follows trends. Like it or not, Jag's direction is on-trend, and clearly others feel similarly.
Agloe_Dreams@reddit
The brutalist design language of the earlier Audi concepts, though I think I wrote it poorly - when I said badly, I didn’t mean “very” I meant “poorly”.
strongmanass@reddit
Jaguar didn't rip anybody off. Type 00 is in some ways a very contemporary take on the E-Type. Top and side.
The vertical lines on the bonnet reference the horizontal vents on the E-Type. Type 00's A-pillar is blended to mimic a wrap around windshield and give a similar C shape to the greenhouse when viewed from above. The rear diffuser of Type 00 is shaped similarly to the taillights of the E-Type. The shape of the rear hatch is similar to the panel of the E-Type housing the rear window. And Type 00's charging port is a direct reference to the negative space on the E-Type between the lines of the bonnet and the door.
Agloe_Dreams@reddit
My point was really on the brutalist design language Audi showed in the 90s rather than shape.
That said, it’s rather entertaining that someone looked at an E-Type and thought “well like that, but remove every beautiful curve you can find” the Type 00 was very clearly panned, and the E-type is one of the most beautiful cars in history, mostly because it is vague references to their history that nobody looking at the whole would ever see. Rather than making a car that has the feel of their past with some new details, they made a car that had a different feel and then almost glued on design elements to point to.
prepare__yourself@reddit
Jaguar didn’t rip anybody off. They actually hired Jaguar’s head of design.
Life_Menu_4094@reddit
It seems more a reference to classic Nissan R35 design.
Car-face@reddit
There's going to be some massive mental gymnastics from people who insist they love the direction of this after trying to hate the Jag concept now.
IMO both look great. Obviously massively similar, but Jag's design is clearly trendsetting, and for this to follow is a good sign.
bitofrock@reddit
Pink got them.
Seriously. The car looks incredibly macho in black or dark blue.
It told me a lot about how people think. And I showed the press shots to some women and they all cooed over it. Production cars derived from it will sell just fine to many people with money... especially with those bright colours. It's a bold statement car and the world isn't full of James Bond fantasists who can't stretch to an Aston.
SuperShyChild@reddit
I think this would look so much better in a metallic black finish rather than matte pink, and it needs to be placed in the real world, not a sterile studio. The brutalist straight lines, paired with the matte paint and artificial lighting, give it a synthetic, CGI feel. CGI can never quite capture the true scale and impact of a real object out in the world.
bitofrock@reddit
I know two people who've seen it in the flesh. The concept is very big and a bit "whoah!"
I saw the Bentley EXP 15 in the flesh and it has some similarities but is much smaller. You can't really tell that from images either. The Bentley EV that's on its way will be relatively compact and aimed at city life rather than GT life, which is an interesting direction to take.
The whole strategy these firms are adopting is interesting. I think the British ones have to be different to compete against the Chinese newcomers.
strongmanass@reddit
When someone has an extreme response to the Type 00 it's hard to tell if they're reaching to only the design because of how much people wrap up their hatred for the teaser video and the decision to axe all ICE carsand the decision to go upmarket with the car itself.
I'm not sure if I'd call Jaguar trendsetters though. Type 00 is definitely of its time, but not the first. IMO it follows a similar trend as the Rolls Royce Spectre which came before it. I'm not suggesting Jaguar copied RR though. We're just seeing some high profile examples of a trend that car designers have been moving toward for a little while now.
dcux@reddit
I was thinking the Audi from the Will Smith movie I, Robot
NotPumba420@reddit
Imo just because it‘s more angled it‘s not as fucked as that jaguar thing and actually pretty
saitejal@reddit
That's exactly the first thought that came to my mind too lol
The lines do have some curves unlike the Jaguar
stavrosked@reddit
wow i think with this weels it wil be more futuristic https://pin.it/2Rt8mywjt
iSvad@reddit
people are def gonna hate on it, as usual with the car community, but I'm liking what im seeing. Reminds me of the 1st gen TT from 1998. Probably gonna be electric tho which sucks balls
Simon676@reddit
I'm quite excited for it. Apparently it's "just" going to weigh 1700 kg too, so not any heavier than the old R8.
BananaNik@reddit
You reckon they would do that with the e-tron already existing?
strongmanass@reddit
The CEO said they were going to release an electric sports car. The e-Tron GT is a 4 door fastback. Different segment. The TT is gone, but it and the A7 coexisted for a long time. Similar model portfolio approach, but with EVs.
aprtur@reddit
Rumor mill is that this is on the same platform as the electric Boxster/Cayman that we've seen out in mule form, so that wouldn't surprise me... although with the market being pretty harsh at the moment, especially for a more enthusiast product, it's got an uphill battle ahead of it.
iSvad@reddit
wouldn't doubt it tbh. There have been rumors of an electric TT for a while now. This is just the concept tho, it will probably change if it does go into production
BananaNik@reddit
Honestly the incredibly low demand for sports cars in general. I feel like no matter what they do it wont sell
InstanceHot3154@reddit
If they made it mid engine and a real cayman esque car, it would probably sell. Not as well as the cayman but probably decently well
Nicktyelor@reddit
The Etron (GT) is a sedan that shares a platform with the Taycan. This will share platforms with the upcoming 718 which was designed as EV-only before some last minute developmental shifts (rumors suggesting a hybrid coming now too).
Tnargkiller@reddit
You don't want your canyon carver to be 5400 lbs?
BetafromZeta@reddit
I.... don't like it :/
It looks too much like a Rolls to me.
LivinRightNBeinFree@reddit
The back-half profile has some 911 vibes.
AlfredLuan@reddit
Jaguar has to sue Audi over this.
bozza8@reddit
Well my first response was "oh for fucks sake", but giving it a few minutes I actually sort of like it.
Tip: look at the soft edges and appreciate the nice elements.
TheDesk918@reddit
I thought this was a rolling version of the R8 concept, the RSQ from iRobot. It took me a while and some reading to realize this is a 2025 concept. The front end immediately made me think the of 4-seater Bug concept, the Galibier
_Nick_2711_@reddit
The Jag 0.0 is this styling taken to the extreme, with very exaggerated features. The concept TT is more ‘approachable’, but still exists to show off a design language.
The production models that reference this are likely to have the styling toned down even further, and I’m quite excited to see that.
strongmanass@reddit
Car people complain about every bloody thing. This is so firmly within Audi's entire brand identity it's barely worth commenting on. It's handsome in a slightly trendy way, just like basically every Audi since they came back to the US market. If you look at recent prominent high-end electric coupé concepts like [Jaguar Type 00](https://www.topgear.com/sites/default/files/images/inline-galleries/2024/12/6fc31349d404dbc64f0ce4c1f4f8d012/1.%20HERO_IMAGERY_16x9_BLUE%20SIDE%20PROFILE.jpg and Bentley EXP 15, and the Rolls Royce Spectre](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/3-spectre-unveiled-the-first-fully-electric-rolls-royce-profile-1666076863.jpg) (obv a production car), there's a clear trend of oversized proportions as a means of being imposing, yet also minimizing ornamentation as a way of making the big cars appear sleek. Audi's take is less jarring and challenging to the viewer while still being clearly premium, which is my reading of all their cars.
Thomas_633_Mk2@reddit
You don't have to like that trend though. The Type 00 and EXP15 both look like they've been carved from marble, and that's not a compliment. The idea of an E-Type that looks imposing and brutalist is incredibly silly, and that's why the Type 00 in my opinion looks incredibly silly (pretty much every problem I have with it's design can be traced back to that). The Spectre works because it's both a lot curvier and not trying to reimagine an extremely curvy car.
For the record, if a car company wants an ostentatious EV coupe, this is the path I prefer, going full Art Deco. All three manufacturers have some lovely stuff from the 30s-40s to crib from.
strongmanass@reddit
I'll just say I can see where you're coming from but different things speak to us. To me the image you posted looks the most pastiche of all the cars we're discussing. We're on different ends of how retro-contemporary appeals to us and that's ok.
Thomas_633_Mk2@reddit
Thats fair, agree to disagree 🤝
Legendver2@reddit
Never seen that Bentley concept before, but damn it reminds me of a Kia K4
assblast420@reddit
I can see people hating it but honestly, I'm going to applaud any manufacturer who wants to try something different even if they won't get it right every time.
bozza8@reddit
Agreed, the new Kia 4x4s look fantastic imo, better than any Bentley (who normally have quite good design themselves).
Even BMW are slowly moving back on their buck toothed design language.
Legendver2@reddit
I have a feeling peeps are gonna miss the buck tooth when neue klasse releases the first official production car
Vhozite@reddit
Same I love the TT but at first glance my reaction was “they ruined it”. But the more I look at it the more I can see some of the old design elements. Need a point of reference for the size because it looks big and small at the same time to me.
goaelephant@reddit
Idk about "radical", it heavily reminds me of the Rosemeyer concept of early 2000s which was in many ways the precursor to the Bugatti Veyron.
TrafficOnTheTwos@reddit
I like it
AMGLover2024@reddit
Audi R6 e-tron?
737northfield@reddit
Anyone who forms strong opinions of a design based off a side profile is a moron.
kvenaik696969@reddit
Oof - I hate that I am the target of this comment :'(
While you're right, especially in the context of ONLY viewing the side profile to provide a snap judgement, I personally think the side profile is legitimately the most important aspect when I (me) decide if a car is truly pretty or everlasting in design.
Some examples,
LaFerrari - this is my personal favorite. Such simple lines when viewed from the side. Bottom straight with the slightest rake. Unbroken, continuous, equally weighted across the center top line. Just the right amount of rear/front haunch visible, gently stretching out that smooth top line. The bottom, lower, upper, and top lines are so perfectly done and play with each other insanely. Bottom and top are these envelopes for the lower and upper lines. Top two and bottom two start at their points, but leave the bottom and meet at the top. All of this svelte detail, restraint, and simplicity from the side, and you look head on and see an angry bug like car with this cinched waist.
Aventador - similar to LaFerrari (but I don't like the driver window+side mirror line)
Loads of other cars - P4/5, Alfa 4C, Giulia, S550, the Eleanor Mustang, 2000GT, Reventon, Sesto Elemento, E70 X5, Miura, 33 Stradale (old one)...
Idk, I (talking about me only here) feel like if I find a car good looking or not invariably comes down to if it has a pretty side profile or not. As my industrial design boy used to quote his professor on cars - "If you can't draw it in three lines, it ain't good".
737northfield@reddit
I ain’t reading all that.
Safe-Reward5963@reddit
So you only look at the one side, got it.
oidoglr@reddit
Weird thing to admit on a platform designed for discussion.
737northfield@reddit
Wah.
kvenaik696969@reddit
Right? Loving the meta/ironic self-rejection of the "hey see it for its entirety before you decide".
Comedy really is everywhere.
kvenaik696969@reddit
TL;DR: skim the side profile of my comment; if it still looks like a wall of text, congratulations, you’ve just exemplified your own point about judging from one angle.
camp_jacking_roy@reddit
haha car go vrooom
Electrical_Top656@reddit
I am a moron
ggtsu_00@reddit
Yep, hold off any options until I see the grille and rear end as that tends to be where cars fuck up the most and make overall interesting car designs look comically silly/goofy.
negativeoxy@reddit
Bugatti Miata
Nzash@reddit
Not a fan of that front but otherwise I'm sold on the design
Hrmerder@reddit
Honestly.. Looks cool but makes me think of a dodge challenger smooshed with 22" low pros with an Audi front and a Tesla and a Porsche had a baby and it became the back....
belmondoX@reddit
i dont hate it but it looks like it's from 2007
zitch@reddit
Badge engineered electric 718 at a lower price?
thefanciestcat@reddit
I don't know about radical. It looks like an Audi, but I like what I can see.
NetworkStatic@reddit
Ive had 3 TT variants and love the packaging. They've worked great in the role of being the "regular" car in the household. I look forward to trying whatever version they come up with next, so long as it is still a sports coupe.
cokecancarlo@reddit
I love my TT. I think it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. So much fun and looks great. I’m gland to see they might bring it back in some way.
VitoXzX@reddit
It’s different, I like different
Juicyjackson@reddit
https://imgur.com/a/8DaBv21
Will Audi and Jaguar announce a partnership or something also?
Because wtf, that is like pretty much the same car.
Car-face@reddit
I love how similar the design trends are, yet how radically different the proportions are.
It's a really nice textbook case of how slight shifts in overhang, wheelbase, turret and roofline completely change the character of a car.
strongmanass@reddit
They're obviously from the same design trend - i.e. they're clearly contemporaries. But if you think there's any similarity beyond that then we may as well say all coupés are the same car.
Xygen8@reddit
This abomination is an insult to the TT.
fernandodasilva@reddit
wow, Audi transformed the TT into a mini R8
strongmanass@reddit
That's the goal: an electric sports car to slot between the TT's and R8's market positions.
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
Was it not always that?
Vhozite@reddit
I feel like the Mk3 was already pushing the car in that direction so it tracks
Beekatiebee@reddit
always has been
totaltomination@reddit
Look what they’ve done to my boi, he used to be the cutest little thing when it was my beloved mk1
SuperShyChild@reddit
I'm really hoping to see some real-world photos of this car. The studio renders are great and all, but the matte silver and plain grey backgrounds don't do it justice. I want to see a brightly coloured version with metallic paint, and I'd love to see people standing next to it to get a real sense of its size,
Scazitar@reddit
The body actually looks really good.
I just don't care for the future minimalism shit.
hi_im_bored13@reddit
I like how audi & bmw are aiming to going back to retro design, that is a modern rosemeyer concept
Bombstar10@reddit
Yep, this is very much a retro-future take, just like BMW are doing with the Neue Klasse platform cars (having seen iX3, it’s worked quite well).
As much as I like my petrol and diesel these small city EVs (Renault 5 and so on) and wave of 375-450 mile vehicles with ~15 minute charging kind of make it a no brainer for daily life.
aprtur@reddit
I guess I could stretch and pull some Rosemeyer details out of this, like this slit head and tail lamps, but this distinctly has Pappas' signature all over it. I personally wish he would've leaned even more into the 80s Quattro design elements, since that decade seems to be a high water mark for Audi design, inside and out.
hi_im_bored13@reddit
They did the quattro concept last gen so personally excited they are leaning into the auto union look a little bit more
aprtur@reddit
I'll need to see more of this design than just the profile to get a feeling for it, but there's something a little bit too bread box about this to me when discussing in the context of their historical Auto Union racers. It doesn't look bad, just comes across in this shot as being a confused middle ground between the more elegant Auto Union curves up top and the 80s Audi box design treatment from the hip point downwards. Certainly curious to see more - I do like this more than what Pappas made for Jag.
Oh_ffs_seriously@reddit
I've never seen it before, so I can say only one thing: LOL, car eyebrows.
hi_im_bored13@reddit
You'll either like or hate the avus a lot more, little less auto union, little more supercar
Thank god that evolved into the r8 concept
SoloPorUnBeso@reddit
It looks sad
Ill-Train6478@reddit
Looks like they hired the recent jaguar design folks or ex designers
Big_Size_2519@reddit
my issue is its gonna be electric
ggtsu_00@reddit
Why does /r/cars act like electrified coupes are somehow as common as SUVs/Crossovers.
Mnm0602@reddit
“Radical concept” meanwhile me looking at the RSQ from 21 years ago. Guess we lost sense of what is radical.
KidRed@reddit
I just wonder if this is a peak at new design direction or just a one off.
Beekatiebee@reddit
I dig it, and I currently have a Mk3 TTS.
The TT gens have always had a pretty significant leap in design each time. I’d absolutely replace mine with a potential Mk4 if I had the chance.
EV would be cool, powerful hybrid would be cooler.
The EA888 is approaching 20 years old. It’s solid in its current form and certainly powerful, but it would be cool to see a more advanced / efficient approach.
spiketeam@reddit
Why does it look taycan based when it was rumored to be based on the cayman/boxster ev platform.
aprtur@reddit
This looks distinctly shorter than a Taycan to me....why do you say that?
spiketeam@reddit
Does it? For me reminds me of etron rs gt with rear doors chopped off.
aprtur@reddit
I think the design language is deceiving. If you look at the rear axle centerline to the seatback of driver, this looks to be a good foot or two shorter than those two cars. It's a big coupe, sure, but doesn't appear big enough to me to compare to the Taycan/ETron.
poopoomergency4@reddit
looks nice, now it just needs an engine
Gods_ShadowMTG@reddit
While I like the concept, I don't know why we are even looking at concepts anymore. Production ready designs look too different these days o
bwoah_gimmethedrink@reddit
It's ugly, the lack of the quarter rear window makes it looks like a delivery vehicle or something.
zeusoid@reddit
It’s fit real mirrors, that’s close to production ready
Godvater@reddit
This looks awesome. I am particularly interested in the interior direction they will be going because current Audi interiors suck so bad.
saturnuranusmars@reddit
Its cool but I dont see it looking like that
StrongOnline007@reddit
Based on this one angle I like it
Wolf24h@reddit
There's hope it's not going to look like the concept I guess
whatinthep015e@reddit
BAAABE, 2004 AUDI IS BACK
MarioV2@reddit
Those wheels! Recessed White dish with black spokes in front of it looks sick
soeri27@reddit
Let's see - seems like simplicity is back which would fit a revived era TT more than trying to continue any current look. Leave the last ICE in the past, throwback to what the Mk 1 was to the Audi portfolio when it launched.
25 years of always developing on that original design - then it'll be time to think when you need to design in quad turbines (will it be triangles?) /s
tractorcrusher@reddit
They made the blind spot bigger somehow, which is a feature.
soeri27@reddit
The "don't even think about a shoulder check" design
PotatoMan_69@reddit
Audi always starts off with this simple but thoughtful design and then starts adding things that are necessary. It's not like Jaguar where it's just straight lines there is thought behind this. I just hope they can build up to something like the last generation of TT
Narrow-Can901@reddit
"Eine Kopie von nichts"
CuddleTeamCatboy@reddit
I actually really like this. Audi has exhausted their 2010s angular design language at this point, moving to a more Bauhaus direction feels fresh in comparison.