Last week, Britain’s Auto Express alleged that a four-door TT will come into being when the current two-door coupe and cabriolet reaches the end of their lifecycles, due to the slump in the sales of small sports cars and based on claims by an unnamed board member in Ingolstadt.
Speaking to Australia’s caradvice.com.au at the launch of the new A1 in Spain though, Audi Head of Communications, Peter Oberndorfer, admitted that plans were underfoot for a family of TT models, but added that this has since been scrapped.
“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,” Oberndorfer told the online platform.
“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. Where the recent stories came from, I don’t know. I don’t know about a four-door TT”.
At the same event, Oberndorfer, a former DTM race winner, poured cold water on suggestions that the A1 will once again spawn a performance S1 derivative, citing the model’s high production costs and drivetrain layout, made of the 2.0 TFSI engine, six-speed manual gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive system, as the biggest factors.
“Honestly it’s difficult, with that platform, it’s difficult. This was quite an investment. You remember the first series of the A1 quattro was very expensive to build,” he said of the now MQB underpinned A1 that replaced the previous PQ25 model.
“The S1 was also not easy to do because it was done later, it was not originally on the platform. It was quite an investment. It was a great car, I had one in my house, but nowadays we have to focus more and more [on other developments] and it’s getting more and more difficult”.
For now, the flagship A1 will be newly badged 40 TFSI that makes use of the same 2.0 TFSI engine as the Volkswagen Polo GTI, which produces 147kW/320Nm. Lesser models will consist of the 30 TFSI whose 1.0 TFSI makes 85kW/200Nm, the 35 TFSI that punches out 110kW/250Nm from its 1.5 TFSI Evo motor and for Europe, a 25 TFSI that utilises the same engine as the 30 TFSI, but retuned to 70kW/175Nm.
Bar the 40 TFSI that comes fitted as standard with a six-speed DSG, the rest of the A1 range is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional seven-speed DSG. The end of the S1 also means that all models send their respective outputs to the front wheels only.
