Audi rumoured to plan TT successor to rival Model 3

According to a German media report, the Audi TT could have a purely electric successor. The basic sporty design is to be retained, but concept changes will include more than just the drive technology. In addition, Audi is apparently planning a direct rival to the Tesla Model 3.

As the Auto Bild reports, the successor to the TT will be a sporty e-SUV based on the MEB modular system. The electric model developed under the working title “Audi eTTron” is to cost less than 45,000 euros, offer ranges of 350 to 550 km and be launched on the market in 2021.

At the Annual General Meeting in May, Audi CEO Bram Schot announced the end of the TT. The MQB-based model, available as a coupé and roadster, is not to be replaced. Audi had already tested other TT models with various concept cars, such as a shooting brake or a small SUV. By switching to the SUV concept, the eTTron would really only parts of the original model designation, as a video published on the vehicle sketch by Auto Bild suggests (in German).

Depending on the point of view, the concept could be described as an SUV coupé or crossover. At a maximum of 4.35 meters, however, it should be shorter than an Audi Q3 and thus also be significantly below the already confirmed Q4 e-tron on an MEB basis. With the Q2 L e-tron, Audi already offers an electric car of a similar size in China, but this one more is likely to become an MEB-powered car in Europe.

According to the report, the range will be between 350 and 550 kilometres, depending on the battery. In the standard version, the engine from the ID.3 could receive 150 kW in the rear, in a sports version a second engine at the front axle is to double the total output to 300 kW.

The figures have not been confirmed, but they seem plausible in view of the MEB’s known data. At the beginning of October, Audi announced its Roadmap E, according to which more than 30 electrified models are to be launched by 2025, accounting for 40 per cent of total sales. A smaller crossover below the e-tron quattro and Q4 e-tron on familiar technology seems quite possible.

In a further report, it was speculated that a direct Audi competitor to the Tesla Model 3 may be in development. The car named e-tron GTS in the report is to become a mid-range sedan, a mixture of an electric A4 and A5 Sportback, and thus compete not only against the Tesla but also against the BMW i4.

Unlike the eTTron, the e-tron GTS will not be based on the MEB, but on the PPE platform developed jointly with Porsche. Length, width and battery size should be highly variable, and rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions are also possible, depending on the model. The report in Auto Bild quotes a range of at least 400 kilometres and the market launch is scheduled for 2021 – both figures, however, are given without a source.

elektroauto-news.net, autobild.de (eTTron), autobild.de (e-tron GTS) (all in German)