Audi to axe TT sportscar

AUDI has confirmed that its TT sportscar will not last beyond its current generation,and will instead be replaced by an all-electric model as part of a push to increase sales of electrified models for the German brand.

Announced at Audi’s annual general meeting, the marque has predicted 40 per cent of its sales will come from electrified models by 2025, with all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to be responsible for the uptake.

Audi chairman of the board of management Bram Schot confirmed in his AGM speech that the TT will make way for an electric sportscar, however few details of the TT replacement have been detailed.

Given the current TT’s size, it is likely that the EV sportcar will ride on Volkswagen Group’s MEB modular electric platform, which will spawn its ID family of EVs.

There are no details on which powertrains will underpin the new EV, however given electrification will be introduced to the Audi Sport range in coming years, there is the possibility of a high-performance version to match the current TT RS.

The current Australian TT range kicks off with the entry-level TT that makes use of a 169kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, which increases to 210kW/380Nm under the hood of the mid-spec TT S.

Topping the range is the TT RS, which outputs a considerable 294kW/480Nm from its 2.5-litre turbo-petrol five-cylinder unit – the same one found in the RS3 hatch and sedan and RS Q3 small SUV.

Audi has not detailed when the switch will happen, however the current third generation of TT launched Down Under in early 2015, while the second-gen model ran for eight years from 2007.

Mr Schot also said the replacement EV will wear a similar pricetag to the current range, which starts at $74,700 plus on-roads for the manual TT coupe and tops out at $141,240 for the TT RS Roadster.

Along with the announcement it will target 40 per cent electrified sales by 2025, Audi also announced it aims to make the lifecycle of its vehicles carbon-neutral.

A start in the process will be to reduce the CO2 footprint of its vehicle fleet by 30 per cent in 2025 compared to 2015, which will be aided by its goal to make all Audi production locations CO2-neutral by 2025.

The process will culminate with CO2 neutrality throughout the entire company by 2050 at the latest.

Audi has allocated €14 billion (A$22.63b) if investment exclusively for electric mobility, digitalisation and highly automated driving, while its electric-vehicle era will begin in Australia in 2020 with the delayed release of the e-tron SUV.

The first vehicles built on Porsche and Audi’s join Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture will arrive at the start of next decade – thought to be the e-tron Sportback and e-Tron GT – while Audi will also lead the development of fuel-cell electric powertrains for VW Group.

For plug-in hybrids, the Q5 medium SUV has just been revealed in PHEV form, while the A6, A7 and A8 ranges will all receive similar powertrain variants in the near future.

Through the first four months of the year, Audi has sold just 10 examples of the TT, down a considerable 86.3 per cent over the 73 it managed to the same point in 2018.