Audi is set to make a dramatic return to the sports car market in 2027 with a reborn TT for the electric era.
Revealed in Milan on Tuesday evening, the Concept C previews the German auto giants plans to return to the sports car sector with a stunning two-seat model powered solely by batteries.
Having axed production of the TT in November 2023, and the £100,000 R8 just four months later in March 2024, Audi hasn’t had a dedicated sports car in its line-up for over 12 months – the first time the Bavarian firm’s been without one in a quarter of a century.
But that is all set to change.
The striking new prototype Concept C is a clear indication of intention, with bosses saying it will – in terms of design – be largely unaltered by the time production commences.
And it’s going to be a major shift change for the brand and a model to spearhead a new strategy it hopes will see it rebound from a tough period of declining sales, weakening profits and factory closures.
However, bosses say it won’t carry the TT name for this reason…
The Audi TT reborn for the electric era: The German car giant has unveiled its dramatic new Concept C sports car that signals a huge shift in the brand’s design language for the future
The striking new prototype Concept C is a clear indication of intention, with bosses saying it will – in terms of design – be largely unaltered by the time production commences
Audi says the Concept C ’embodies the brand’s new design philosophy’ and ‘paves the way for the future’.
But CEO Gernot Döllner has categorically ruled out applying the TT name to the production version during an interview with Autocar.
‘The Concept C is not a successor of the TT. It’s a different segment to the TT – it’s somewhere exactly in the middle between TT and R8,’ he said.
He also confirmed that the company will ‘come up with a new name’ by the time it makes its showroom-ready debut.
However, while execs say it won’t be called TT, there’s no questioning that its impact and influence on the brand will be as noteworthy as when its now iconic former two-seater debuted in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show to great fanfare some 30 years ago.
You also can’t doubt the silhouette is almost a TT doppelganger.
Having axed production of the TT in November 2023 after three generations, Audi hasn’t had a dedicated sports car in its line-up for over 12 months – the first time the Bavarian car maker’s been without one in a quarter of a century
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner has categorically ruled out applying the TT name to the production version during an interview with Autocar. However, there’s a striking resemblance between the TT concept debuted in 1995 (left) and today’s Concept C
The most obvious eye-drawer is the vertical frame grille, which dominates the arrow-tipped nose of the sports car while retaining the four-ringed emblem cocooned within its smaller dimensions
The almost flush bodywork is complemented by cooling vanes that appear like a spine down the centre of the rear section, which retains the minimalist look using the new letterbox-style light arrangement that are split by the Audi logo
Despite being an EV, Concept C retains the form of a mid-engined sports car, though with new styling cues that Audi is proposing for a refreshed design language.
In fact, Audi says the prototype is a showcase of the ‘radical simplicity’ of how its next-generation models will look, which will be ‘core’ to its new identity.
The most obvious eye-drawer is the vertical frame grille, which dominates the arrow-tipped nose of the sports car while retaining the four-ringed emblem cocooned within its smaller dimensions.
Audi says this has taken inspiration from former models dating as far back as the 1936 Auto Union Type C, though also more recently the third-generation Audi A6 executive saloon that hit showrooms from 2004.
The lower form of the front end then tapers dramatically towards the wheel arches, flanked at each corner by huge air intakes that will bolster cooling to the battery cells that are buried in middle of the chassis floor.
This is contrasted by slither-thin headlight clusters and an almost flush front wings that are joined by a piano-black front splitter that – against the titanium bodywork – gives the perception of the lower bumper panel being suspended above it.
Another key design element – which also harks to the TT – is the windscreen, which sits below the bulging edges of the raised bonnet.
The Targa-like roof concept is a folding-hard top is a first for any Audi. Design bods say it ‘retains the essence of a monolithic body style’, though the clear shut lines distinctly separate it from the rear deck – which notably has no glass panel
Design bosses at Audi have revealed that the production version of Concept C – expected to launch in 2027 – will carry almost this exact form
Broad shoulder lines over the rear arches and a diffuser-dominated rear bumper complete the dramatic overhaul. It looks equally jaw-dropping with the roof up or down
Much of the design work has been penned by chief creative officer Massimo Frascella, who jumped ship from a 13-year innings at Jaguar Land Rover to join Audi last year
The Targa-like roof concept is a folding-hard top is a first for any Audi.
Design bods say it ‘retains the essence of a monolithic body style’, though the clear shut lines distinctly separate it from the rear deck – which notably has no glass panel.
Moving to the back, the almost flush bodywork is complemented by cooling vanes that appear like a spine down the centre of the rear section, which retains the minimalist look using the new letterbox-style light arrangement that are split by the Audi logo.
Broad shoulder lines over the rear arches and a diffuser-dominated rear bumper complete the dramatic overhaul.
Its Art Deco-inspired exterior is carried into a cabin dominated by simplicity and geometric forms.
Audi says it is ‘free from distractions’ to ensure the user’s focus remains solely on driving pleasure.
Like the TT, it has weighty anodised aluminium controls for a ‘tactile experience’ that also screams mechanical quality.
To keep the cockpit as uncluttered as possible, the 10.4-inch touchscreen display can be electronically folded and hidden away and the driver’s digital instrument cluster is forged into the dashboard.
Much of the design work has been penned by chief creative officer Massimo Frascella, who jumped ship from a 13-year innings at Jaguar Land Rover to join Audi last year.
Massimo – alongside JLR’s flamboyant design exec Gerry McGovern – has influenced the shape of the current Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover and, most significantly the Defender.
On his arrival in Bavaria, he has pushed a design language for ‘radical simplicity’ which is achieved by ‘reducing everything to the essential’.
He added: ‘We want to shape a brand capable of inspiring desire and creating cultural impact.’
Frascella also revealed during the Milan presentation that the production version – expected to launch in 2027 – will carry almost this exact form.
A new slither-thin headlight cluster design is used at the front and back. The almost flush front wings are joined by a piano-black front splitter that – against the titanium bodywork – gives the perception of the lower bumper panel being suspended above it
Its Art Deco-inspired exterior is carried into a cabin dominated by simplicity and geometric forms
Audi says it is ‘free from distractions’ to ensure the user’s focus remains solely on driving pleasure
Like the TT concept from 1995, the cabin is incredibly minimal though features weighty anodised aluminium controls for a ‘tactile experience’ that also screams mechanical quality
CEO Gernot Döllner, speaking about the simplicity of the Concept C’s design, says it is an ‘ethos and the compass that will guide Audi through the times ahead’
The electric drivetrain underpinning Concept C remains under wraps for now, with no information provided about the size of battery or even the power that will be produced.
Though given its svelte, driver-focused pitch, expect it to be packing plenty of performance.
Referencing the shift to a more simplistic design approach, Döllner also commented: ‘Clarity is an ethos and the compass that will guide Audi through the times ahead.’
He said Concept C is a presentation of the new design philosophy hailing a ‘new beginning’ for the company.
‘The phase of taking stock is over. Now is the time to look to the future and pick up speed. We are focusing on what really matters to set standards in design and quality,’ the CEO went on.
He also referenced ‘making Audi future-proof again’ by not just reducing costs but having a ‘focused portfolio, which enables us to invest in quality and innovation’.
Döllner’s call to arms comes after Audi suffered a difficult 2024, where – like many rivals – it endured severe headwinds, including supply chain issues, geopolitical tensions and increased competition from the East Asian, namely the blossoming Chinese market.
This saw the German giant post a 12 per cent drop in deliveries, which contributed to a 7.6 per cent fall in overall revenues and a prominent decline in profits of more than three percentage points.
It also took the decision in December to close its 350,000 square-foot EV factory in Brussels.
The site, which had been manufacturing the Q8 e-tron and Q8 e-tron Sportback since 2022 and is the main producer of these battery SUVs, was shuttered in February in what the brand called a ‘painful’ move that put 3,000 jobs at risk.
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