TT Could Be Saved If It’s Electrified, Audi Technical Boss Says

Just a few days after Audi’s CEO said the TT could soon be killed off, the German automaker’s technical boss has suggested that there’s a chance the compact sports car will live on.

Speaking with Auto Express at the VW Group’s recent Annual Media Conference, Audi board member for technical development Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler said that he is pushing the company to keep the TT in its family.

“The TT is emotional to us; we’ve been having emotional discussions at the board level. Some people say we should stop it but I say that it’s part of our DNA. We’re fighting for it. We want it. It’s our DNA and that’s what we’re fighting for. I’m going to convince my colleagues on how it can be electrified,” Rothenpieler said.

According to the company’s technical boss, Audi has to update the R8 and TT in the age of e-mobility. Neither of these performance vehicles can continue to exist in their current form, and while others within the company seem willing to let the TT drive off into the sunset, Rothenpieler wants it to stick around.

“We’re involved in discussing this, and these models and RS will need a change into e-mobility. That’s what we’re discussing.

“The e-tron GTis the first step, at the end of 2020; we have to keep our sporty DNA and I think we’re going to see in our discussions on what we’ll still need in terms of combustion engines and what we can transfer into e-mobility right away,” Rothenpieler added.