How badly is Porsche’s effort to make its 718 Boxster and Cayman sports cars electric going? It might have just killed the return of the Audi TT along with it and is causing headaches across both automakers. We’ve asked Audi for any insight on the sports car’s return, but the company didn’t have any comment on the matter.
Audi’s Concept C was a return of the TT Roadster. The sharp-looking concept was revealed last year, and not long after Audi CEO Gernot Döllner confirmed that a version of it was bound for dealer showrooms. He described it as “a concrete preview of a production vehicle.”
The plan was to build the car at its low-volume Böllinger Höfe plant, which is where it used to build the R8 supercar and currently builds the e-tron GT. It’s designed for small-scale production and is well used to EVs. Audi’s new car was going to use the architecture created for the electric 718 models, sharing development costs. That’s where the problem starts.
Earlier this week, a report from Bloomberg cited sources claiming Porsche’s new CEO might scrap the 718 EVs. They’re already years late, meanwhile EV sales aren’t growing as expected and Porsche has a budget problem. It’s currently scrambling to re-introduce the Macan and a new Cayenne model, and the 718 is believed to be getting the same treatment.
The new Audi TT, recast as an EV, will once again be the brand’s design and technology halo car.
German business publication Handelsblatt cited Audi insiders as saying this puts Audi’s CEO in a tough spot. If Porsche kills its car, it leaves Audi two choices: buy the platform from Porsche and finish it then put the car into production with a higher than expected cost, or join Porsche and axe it.
When Döllner revealed the Concept C in Milan last year, it was a very high-profile launch. The CEO called it “the first visible evidence of Audi’s transformation as a company,” and it showed a brand-new design language. Not putting the car into production and instead launching the new styling on a more conventional sedan or crossover isn’t the splash Audi needs.
This is the end of a very fine era
The plans are still up in the air. Porsche’s new CEO, who came over from the same job at McLaren, hasn’t made any official announcements just yet. Audi isn’t talking either, and it likely won’t until Porsche takes the first step.
The way we design our vehicles is the way we will shape our 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.
–Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi
If it gets shelved or if Audi has to pay significantly more to finish it, the Concept C will likely not pick up speed. Audi would need to re-examine its future plans, though we’re hoping the new design language will stick around. It would be a shame if Audi had to drop this new but classic appearance.
After several years of falling sales, Audi needs the boost from a car like this to its brand. A new TT or Concept C – or whatever its name – could restore some of the early-2000s design and engineering glory that gave the brand a significant leg up and transformed its image.
Source: Handelsblatt
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