Well, let’s see, if we get some of the old posters back on board. We had a great discussion dissecting the new gen 2 AUDI TT back in 2008. And I would like to get everyones take on the new concept car, that the canadians revealed today some hours before official reveal time:
As far as I can see there is no possibility anymore to link to pictures via bulletinboardcode?
Personally I do like how the 2025 gets back to a very basic restrained language for AUDI. Very Bauhaus. I do not feel the black “grille” tablet behind the 4 rings, but all in all it seems an interesting experiment on getting to the point where lessness is on the verge of reverting from less is more, to less is not enough.
Looks like a TT without looking too much like a TT. I’m sure they tried it without the grille but I think it could have been nice without the black rectangle, just a slight form shift. Nice body side surfacing. Love the machined bits on the doors. I think the screens in the interior could have been integrated better.
This has to be my favorite concept car in years. The screens are poorly integrated, but at least they are trying to keep them from dominating the interior. Feels like the dash might need a more interesting material or texture, but it’s hard to say from photos. I think I prefer the rear than the front. The front looks like a scaled down US pick up truck in that it is really flat, like a battering ram. The TT always looked a little more approachable, this looks dangerous. The same for the back. I think this a danger with the “but we have cameras” design philosophy. A window makes a car look approachable!
Personally, I would ditch the gauge display and bring back some gauges that look like fine swiss watches. Why not?
More to like than dislike but I’m not a fan of the grilltangle. Yo’s version on the right is interesting - sort of hidden fan duct. I’d want a little angle on that front element…
Heck of a flop on the paint. I want to see what’s inside the inward curving surfaces below the headlamps! Bugs, plastic bags, tennis balls…
They are playing up a wedge shape a bit more, and rear-weighted body stuff and haunches gives it less of a Quattro look than the original model. I like the pseudo-R8 mini-blade behind the windows. The points at the rear corners are really interesting and probably work better in person.
Now THAT’s a concept car! I feel like we haven’t seen this elegant sculptural approach in years. Very nice! (Though maybe that means that my taste is out of touch with today’s markets?)
Personally I love the ‘grill’, it takes me straight back to the very early Audi streamliner designs and the Rosemeyer concept. In a time where the face of vehicules is in flux, I think this is a nice solution with a strong brand direction.
I like almost everything about it. My only real initial dislikes are the size of it (as a 2-person car, with seemingly very little luggage space) and the lack of any provision for a front number plate (because ignoring that just leads to an awkward solution in the production design).
Thanks for sharing and happy to see activity here on the core77 boards!
Love it! Would be cool if the areas to side of the grill could open and close dynamically while driving. The grill shape, pointed front, and champaign CMF has some cool art deco vibes imo.
Thank you, I have virtually missed you and this kind of discussion.
Especially like what Yo quickly did to the grille question. They will need some kind of solution for the countries, that still have front number plates mandatory. And the iterations show, that there will be ways to work towards that. Love the idea of just leaving the frame of the “single frame” and doing only some very gentle contrast to the body with curvature and or surface. Makes it even more futuristic and clean. Very industrial.
Of course it is more macho than the original TTs. As the clouds over Europe get darker by the week, “we” are looking to get armed up again. So a bit of manlyness in cars is to be expected.
I for one love the cuddly snout of the original Model 3, that I am driving. But a compact, low smart and peaceful/ playful sports sedan is not where the center of the market has shifted to.
The thing about using AI to design with, it teaches the brain better pattern recognition. We can see this here in the new Audi. Jag DNA is metastasizing through European design at the moment.
The Jag lacks that last bit of design refinement that the Audi has. Just like 5% more would have nailed it. (the last 5% also takes forever though lol)
I can see the connection between the concept and their racing heritage, both in the big grille and the finish.
I’m growing pretty tired of touchscreens & tablets for interior controls though. Sure, use that as the display, but tactile switches and knobs just feel so much easier to use while driving, and so much simpler and faster than “Alexa/Gemini/Siri, turn the heat to 22C”.
worth noting that the head of design, Massimo Frascella, used to be at Jaguar / Land Rover and was responsible for the current Range Rover and Defender as well as the Jaguar 00
I agree with @thedinomeister , it has a lot more refinement than the Jaguar. My issue with the Jaguar isn’t the design of it, it’s the connection (or lack there of) to the brand. Something architectural, teutonic, that feels very German and so seems to just work a lot better, and be more resolved.
As to being too similar. I wouldn’t say the a Jaguar D-Type looks like a Porsche though they are both quite round, smooth, and sleek. I wouldn’t confuse the two. Nor would I here.
People made similar comments about the Nissan 300Z looking too much like a MK1 TT when they came out and I don’t think anyone would confuse those either.
This video shows both as well as the architectural Bentley concept that is riffing off the same trend.
This quote from Frascella on Core77’ blog says it all for me on how current cars are mostly overdone and gimmicky :
“But for me, the [original] TT was more than just a car. It was a message: you don’t need to shout to be heard. You don’t need excess to make a statement. You just need clarity. And, more importantly, the courage to follow it."
