Audi TT is back: first glimpse of the new concept

The Audi TT is returning. Confirmation came by accident, after Audi Canada posted - and then swiftly replaced - its Facebook profile picture with a first glimpse of the concept that will underpin the next generation of the four-ring brand’s smallest coupé.

That development is hardly unexpected. Audi itself has already hinted that it wants to recapture the spark of the original Audi TT, referring to the project as a “TT moment 2.0”. With no two-door coupé left in the range - following the departures of the TT, the R8 and the A5 - the door has been left open for a model that once defined an era for the German marque.

First look at the Audi TT Concept tease

In the image that slipped out (featured in this article), the silhouette reveals TT-inspired lines, particularly up to the B-pillar. From that point rearwards, the proportions look closer to an R8.

Design cues and proportions: TT DNA with a more aggressive stance

From what can be made out in the accidentally shared picture, the design returns to the clean simplicity that made the first TT so distinctive: gentle curves across the roofline and rear, now paired with sharper shoulder lines and a more assertive, planted stance.

The oversized wheels are typical concept-car theatre and are unlikely to make it to the production model. Even so, details such as conventional door mirrors and the lighting signatures may already be close to what will appear on the final road-going version.

The link to the R8-like proportions is not coincidental. Everything points to this new Audi sharing its underpinnings with the forthcoming Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster, which are also expected to arrive as electric versions.

In the meantime, that image was replaced by this video, which draws on Audi’s entire history:

Audi TT will be electric at least at launch

The official unveiling of this new Audi TT Concept takes place tomorrow, 2 September, one day before its first public appearance at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.

It will be introduced as an electric model, although the story may not be fully settled. The Volkswagen Group has been revisiting its electrification strategy, bringing hybrids and combustion engines back into the plan for certain models, and Porsche has already acknowledged it is working on new petrol engines. As a result, it cannot be ruled out that Audi’s new sports car could ultimately offer solutions beyond pure electrification.