Four-door TT is off the table, Audi says
Audi has suggested the idea of a family car doesn't fit with the TT's lineage.
Audi has scrapped plans for a four-door derivative of its TT coupe, suggesting it would be tricky to deliver a practical 'family' car that does justice to the badge's heritage.
The idea for a TT Sportback was first mooted by Audi technical chief, Ulrich Hackenberg, as part of a push to expand its model line-up. We even saw the TT Sportback concept (pictured below) in 2014, but a production version hasn't been forthcoming.
In fact the idea of a broader, more practical TT range has since been culled, according to Peter Oberndorfer, Audi's head of communications.
“Actually we had the idea of a TT ‘family’, so to speak,” Oberndorfer told CarAdvice at last week’s launch of the second-generation A1 in Spain.
“Not so much anymore," he went on.
“I think the TT is an icon, and to do a family [car] out of that is quite difficult. And especially in these times where we have to concentrate more and more, because we have to do gasoline and diesels on the one side, and electrification on the other side.
“So you have to concentrate more and more and think about what you can do and what you can afford. So we’re quite happy with one TT at the moment," he explained.
Oberndorfer's comments come just days after a report from Auto Express suggesting the four-door TT has been green-lit, with production to start within two years. However, he refuted the report, telling CarAdvice: "Where the recent stories came from, I don’t know. I don’t know about a four-door TT."