First look: Audi shoots the TT breeze at Tokyo

IT may look like a concept car and Audi is hardly likely to admit it, but Audi’s Shooting Brake Concept is a loosely disguised TT.

The low-slung four-seater concept is about to make its Tokyo motor show debut ahead of the production car’s unveiling next March at the Geneva motor show.

With BMW planning a coupe version of its Z4 and Mercedes considering a fixed-roof iteration of its SLK, the Shooting Brake signals a similar intent from Audi.

The concept borrows the striking single-frame radiator grille from Audi’s Le Mans sportscar, while the upward swoop behind the rear side window and horizontal tail-lights are tipped to go into production.

The Shooting Brake is bigger in every dimension than the current TT.

It measures 4180m long, 1840mm wide, 1350mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2470mm – compared to the current TT’s 4041mm length, 1764 width, 1345mm height and wheelbase of 2429mm.

With its powerful 184kW/320Nm 3.2-litre V6 borrowed from the A3 range and quattro permanent four-wheel drive, the Shooting Brake will hit 100km/h in a claimed six seconds and has a top speed of 250km/h.

Apart from the edgy design Audi has thrown a raft of technical innovations at the car, some of which are likely to go into production,

These include the adaptive "magnetic ride" damping system, an evolutionary version of Navigation System Plus with touch screen monitor and character recognition, and new LED headlight technology.

In design terms the Shooting Brake represents a departure from Audi’s conservative past, in comes into line with the new A3, A6 and A8 models.

The tapered shape at the front - further accentuated by prominent air inlets at the sides - and the dynamic cut of the clear-glass headlights give the front a decidedly forceful, dynamic character.

A further element adopted from motorsport, beneath the grille, is the aluminium diffuser, which guides the airflow beneath the car.

Viewed side-on, Audi’s designers have used convex and concave surfaces to create a subtle interplay of light and shadow.

The dynamic lines down the side give the car a particularly flat look. Typically the shoulder and dynamic line structure down the side echo Audi’s current design philosophy.

The proportions of the large body panels and the flat window strip below the arching roofline are equally characteristic features of a sports car. The 19-inch double-spoke allows originate from quattro GmbH.

One new element tipped to follow into production is the upward swoop behind the rear side window.

This, together with the wide C-pillar, accentuates the prominent rear-end. The horizontal rear lights also extend around to the car’s flanks.

In conjunction with a black line along the lower edge of the window, they accentuate the horizontal divide across the rear-end of the vehicle.

The rear hatch extends well up into the roof surface, allowing for a wide opening angle and optimum access to the rear.

A large-area diffuser is located beneath the flush, integral rear bumper to channel the airflow beneath the vehicle to minimise drag and enhance grip while two large exhausts hint at what’s under the bonnet.

Inside the car carries a distinctly sporty air, conveyed by the low seat position, high centre console and the clear, ergonomic instrument panel.

There’s a close-ratio sports-style gearlever, wide armrests in the doors and the pedals are faced with an aluminium-rubber surface.

A semi-circular cover, an element that consciously echoes the design of other sporty Audis, shields the instrument cluster.

Two large analogue circular instrument dials display the engine speed and road speed, and the large-format display of the Driver Information System provides further information.

The multifunction steering wheel with flattened underside is a counterpart to the wheel installed in two of the most alluring Audi sports cars ever built - the Le Mans quattro study and RS4.

The luggage compartment boasts a capacity of 255 litres with the rear seatbacks upright and 730 litres when they are folded flat.