Benjy 11 Oct 05

Love it! Exept for that grill. The slots seem a bit wide. Are they moving away from their new corporate face so soon?

Rob 11 Oct 05

Yeah, Audi is going insane with those grills lately. Seems big grills are back in fashion.

JF 11 Oct 05

That’s just a variation on the new wide-mouth grill. The concept remains intact.

brad 11 Oct 05

Glad to hear that “hatchbacks are back.” I really think this is where the most creative design opportunities live. The new 2006 Toyota Yaris (set to replace the Echo Hatchback in Canada, same model as the European Yaris), the Smart, the various Civic hatchbacks over the years….hatchbacks have always been much more interesting to me than sedans.

David Heinemeier Hansson 11 Oct 05

This is the storm trooper car! Look at that profile and tell me it’s not a storm trooper. Is George Lucas going to see royalties on this rip-off!? Someone has to stand up for that poor guy.

MSF 11 Oct 05

I was just reading that very same post on AutoBlog (via Bloglines) when Jason’s post came in.

After seeing this concept my first reaction is that - at least from a design perspective - I see no need for an Audi S3/VW R32. Elegance + Aggressiveness.

What TT?

Yuda 11 Oct 05

Let me know when Audi gets around to offering a car that doesn’t guzzle gas like John Kruk guzzles beer.

Michael Spina 11 Oct 05

Quite a departure from the original TT, but I think they very successfully integrated elements/hints from the outgoing model into the new design, like the fender flares and rear facia/taillights, and especially that crease line curving over the rear fender.

Don Schenck 11 Oct 05

So I’m minding my own business, working, bop over to check out SvN and WHOA! … my sense are assaulted by Yet Another Fugly Audi.

A 1953 Chrsyler Special it ain’t. Yuk.

I guess you have to acquire a taste for Audis.

Alexandre Simard 11 Oct 05

Looks good, but what’s with the name? Or is it supposed to be “break”, the European word for “station wagon”?

Dave Simon 11 Oct 05

VAG has gone chrome heavy lately, so despite the size of that grille, it still doesn’t seem as big as the one on the new Jetta and the new Passat.

This TT concept is really nice to look at, but it sort of looks like a Golf that’s been chopped on top, doesn’t it? But they are cousins, so I guess a little family resemblence is ok.

At least Audi and VAG are trying new things design-wise. Meanwhile, Ford is recycling the look of the Jetta IV (Focus) and Passat B5 (the 500.)

The interior looks nice, is that a full size drink holder in the console next to the parking brake? I’m a Passat owner, so I haven’t seen a real drink holder in a while. j/k Wonder why they didn’t use the pushbutton parking brake idea that is in the new B6 Passat.

A Noonie Moose 11 Oct 05

The gauge cluster is very similar to the 2005-06 Mustang’s
http://www.mustangphotos.com/photopost/data/514/1gt500_24.jpg

SU 11 Oct 05

I like it… But it’s no Subaru Turbo Hybrid.

yakimushi 11 Oct 05

I sure hope this is another signal of the possible “rise of the hatchback” here in the US. Europe gets all the hot hatches like the Focus RS and the Renault Clio V6.

Jeff Croft 11 Oct 05

That thing is totally hot. I adore it. However, it doesn’t remind me too much of the TT, so I’m surprised Audi used that brand name on it. It’s more similar to other Audis.

Anyway…hot!

8500 11 Oct 05

Bah I hate hatchbacks. Always have and guess I always will.

This new model doesn’t even seem to appeal to the same target audience as the first TT. Why give up on the roadster appeal?

Mike P. 11 Oct 05

Wow, that second photo up there says “BMW 1 Series” to me. Very nice…

aghast 11 Oct 05

How can you hate a hatchback? They are the terriers of the auto world.

8500 11 Oct 05

I hate terriers too - all attitude and nothin to back it up.

brad 11 Oct 05

Yeah, hatchbacks are really the only kind of car that has ever interested me, both visually and practically. I find sedans too boring, most station wagons too conventional, and SUVs too, well, too SUV. I think there’s more diversity in design among hatchbacks than any other type of car.

JF 11 Oct 05

The latest class of Alfa Romeo’s would sell like hotcakes here. Mystified by their absence.

Don Schenck 11 Oct 05

ek — I am your father.

Michael Spina 11 Oct 05

I agree. It’s fun to look at, but definitely not “beautiful.”

Alexandre Simard 11 Oct 05

Good call about the Alfa Brera. It is a beauty.

Where were all these eager Euro/hatchback American buyers during the last 20 years? There must be reasons why all non-luxury European car manufacturers (except VW) pulled out of the North American market and why Honda stopped importing a hatchback Civic.

Richard 11 Oct 05

Is this a shifter car?

Shifter cars are definitly against the “keep it simple” mantra.

;)

Justin P 11 Oct 05

You 37Signals guys must be rolling in the dough, that’s the only explanation why you keep talking about gas-hogging luxury cars.

How much does it cost to fill up and how often do you have to do it? >

SU 11 Oct 05

And, hey, SU, did you hear that Toyota is buying a big chunk of GM�s stake in Subaru (GM is divesting itself of its entire 20% ownership of Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru � Toyota is taking approximately half and the rest will be sold to a combination of existing shareholders and the open market)? Probably means good things for Subie fans down the road.

I did hear that and it’s a good thing to be sure… Having Toyota for a partner instead of GM is very good indeed. I wonder, though, what will happen to the Saabarus now that this marriage has ended. My dream car may soon arrive: a Subaru Outback XT Hybrid that gets 40mpg city and has upwards of 300hp w/zero turbo lag.

Paul Goscicki 11 Oct 05

Apart from looking as a combination of Peugot 407, BMW Series 1 and Chrysler 300C (mixed together in a compact form), this thing is a beauty ;)

alfie romeo 11 Oct 05

The Brera reminds me of the short lived Alfa Romeo SZ…

James 11 Oct 05

Bleh - that Alfa Romeo SZ looks like a Ford Probe.

James 11 Oct 05

…with a smidge of Mitsubishi Eclipse.

matt 11 Oct 05

i love my alfa 147 — my first alfa and my first hatchback and i wouldn’t swap either. well a brera might persuade me :)

Tony Schinkowski 11 Oct 05

Wow.

But it looks a bit like a tank, just like the TT.

(Disclaimer: I was born in Ingolstadt)

Jim Jeffers 11 Oct 05

I like it! But I still want the Porsche Cayman a little more. I’m dreaming either way :)

Tommy 11 Oct 05

Not a big fan. I love my 2000 VW Passat. Will drive it until the wheels fall off.

Generally speaking what VW/Audi does is stunning IMHO, but those pics didn’t do it for me. When people ask me why I like my Passat so much (of course the A4) I say:

1. He feels like a tank, but still gets 28 MPG on the highway.
2. From a user interface POV controls are where they should be. I can control almost every aspect of my car without a whole lot of movement.
3. The little stuff. The blue glow of the instruments lights at night. I fact I can close windows or the sunroof w/ the key after I am out of the car.

thomas marban 12 Oct 05

looks like a BMW1/Renault Megane.
I’ll stick with my old one

Miguel 12 Oct 05

> Wow, that second photo up there says �BMW 1 Series� to
> me. Very nice�

> looks like a BMW1/Renault Megane

You said it. The sculpted side panel is a direct ripoff of the BMW.

About hatchbacks being ‘back’, is that in the US? They were never ‘out’ in the rest of the world at any time.

Jens Meiert 12 Oct 05

Huh? Rather looks like an A3 study than a TT!?

GonZ[+] 12 Oct 05

At least they had the decency to install counterstrike on the pc so you’ve got something to do when stuck in traffic.

rpw 12 Oct 05

I am not impressed. It is not a TT in anything other than name IMHO. The current TT is a study in performance. Each of its surfaces, inside and out, has a purpose that contributes to the overal design of the car. The body appears to be stretched over the wheels. The lines flow into each other. It is a miinimalist design with a retro-ish nod to the streamlined race cars of the past. I don’t see any of those themes carried forward in the “new TT”. The current TT still stands out from a design perspective, and it still works. I am not sure we will be able to say the same thing about htis new TT in ten years. Just my two cents of course…

Bob 12 Oct 05

They’ve preempted the Z4-coupe derivative. Well done. I’d seriously consider one if only it sported a roundel.

David 12 Oct 05

Let me know when Audi gets around to offering a car that doesn�t guzzle gas like John Kruk guzzles beer.

Off-topic, but the fuel comments are more about engine selection than Audi overall. I have an A4 with a 1.8 turbo 4-cylinder engine and I get close to 30 mpg highway—not bad for a performance-oriented luxury sedan. Their European diesels do even better.

ek 12 Oct 05

To David’s point, with their turbo diesel and fuel stratified injection (FSI) petrol engines, I think Audi would have to be considered the market leader in terms of fuel efficiency among the German manufacturers.

The Don-ald wrote:
ek � I am your father.
LOL — who’s yer daddy?!?

And I know you can’t resist the Eye-talyun cars Schenck. No one can make sheet metal sensual like they can. ;-)

SU wrote:
I wonder, though, what will happen to the Saabarus now that this marriage has ended.
Yes, that’s a good question. I think Saab fans have to be very worried right about now. As if the monstrosity known as the 9-7X weren’t enough, with the 9-2X soon to be out of the picture and their primary development partner leaving the GM fold, things aren’t looking good for fans of Swedish motoring.

I wonder if the potential for a divestiture is why GM chose not to go with the Subaru-sourced boxer engine in the production version of the beautiful new Pontiac Solstice (the Solstice concept was built around Subie’s 4-cylinder boxer engine)? The lower profile of a boxer engine almost certainly would have provided better driving dynamics than the more conventional G.M. derived 2.4 liter Ecotec 4-cylinder engine that made the final cut.

pwb 12 Oct 05

Yuck!! Looks like the (unsellable) Z3 Coupe.

Don Schenck 13 Oct 05

Hold on there! I LOVE the Z3 Coupe. Seriously.

We Build Excitement! 13 Oct 05

I am surprised Pontiac didn’t name that car the Soulstice. Just cos they are dumb like that.

Mike P. 13 Oct 05

“The latest class of Alfa Romeo�s would sell like hotcakes here. Mystified by their absence.”

There’s an Alfa 147 (T-Spark?) parked outside my office window right now… They were my favorite until the one series hit the streets…

rumred 13 Oct 05

With the wide-mouth grills, won’t it make it easier for people to “get all up in your grill”

*ducks*, *runs out of the room*

IM 14 Oct 05

Eugh, nope.
An Audi TT with new focus headlights, cheap hatchbacky arse, and some of that nasty new-BMW styling.

karangelli 14 Oct 05

It looks just like my first car - 91’ honda civic hatchback. I loved that car. My next car was a hatchback too - now it’s on the minivan (YUCK)

Noah 14 Oct 05

Am I the only person who realizes this thing looks exactly like a Mazda 3 with a different grill?

If not it looks a heck of a lot like a 1992-1995 Honda Civic Hatch Back, yuck.

The current TT is hot, even if it is of questionable performance.

Jupiter 18 Oct 05

Does anybody know whether the Audi Q7 will be available in the US? Couldn’t find it on audiusa.com.

ek 19 Oct 05

Jupiter — yes, the monstrosity known as the Q7 was essentially developed for the US market (the US is expected to account for at least half of the Q7’s total production volume).

A handful should already be in the country for promo events, but I don’t think it actually goes on sale here until early-2006.

TheCarConnection.com has a sneak peek of the Q7 available on their site.

If you didn’t notice already, I think SUVs are awful and, to my eyes, the Q7 looks like an over-bloated pig, but I have to admit that its interior is a thing of beauty.

Jean-Timmi 23 Oct 05

Insult, Insult, Insult yes the future is coming, style and design is the new thing. To much styles, is just to much, I love the old audi tt. The design is ahead of it time when I first saw it back in 1999 on road in Boston, love it. A hatch back, what the hell was running in the designer mind at that moment. If you’re going to reshaped the audi tt, don’t make it into a hatchback. Insult, insult, insult.

ALF 08 Nov 05

are you insane?
this grill is absolutly sporty…
i mean huge grills = mean and fast sport car.

i dunno about the rear… i hope they fix it up a bit…
but the front is absolutly great!

anybody who thinks differently shouldnt be allowd to talk here.

besides… this is a shooting break… according to audi it will not replace the TT… its a new line… and the TT will not become a hatchback.

there will be 3 models if this one goes into production
TT coupe. TT roadster . TT Shooting Brake

JAMES 02 Jan 06

I think this is a great idea to bring a new range of audi you have still got the audi TT look at the front but transformed into a hatchback if it still has the original design TT with two other new designs then great hope everything pulls through for the little hatchback

chazadellic 14 Jan 06

Ooooh!!!!!!!
Lekker lekker………..I love it too bits!!!!!!!!!!!!
All I can think and talk about is this new hot babe.
I want this Audi more than Ive ever wanted anything!
Its shape is magnifisant and people please….the grill gives me a the thrill.
Love the interior!

go go go go Audi.
I think you guys have done a great job!

As soon as I win the lotto Ill have one for shure……..he he!

khan 13 Mar 06

i understand that audi will be making the “estate” , coupe and soft top so relax those that dont like the hatch back version . i personally think its great and will hapilly trade in my tt coupe for one as soon as i’ve got the dosh .

hamburglar 20 Apr 06

if anything, this will be what the new a2 looks like. the new tt has already come out. the grill will have the audi badging on it, not the hood. audi always puts their badging in the grill. that grill won’t be production because it is too outlandish. i like it, but some people like their cars to look more conservative. theres no way this car will be mid-teens money-wise. it will be 20’s and up, probably with a small 4 and an option to a small 6 for the sport version. the 6-cylinder would perform similar to the vw gti.

mike 14 Jul 06

BRERA is simply awesome design , TT is nothing new!!

Lothar Pollak 16 Jul 06

super sportliches design des audis!! da ich selber schon seit ungef�hr 15 jahren audi fahre w�rde ich mir dieses, auchg wenn es noch eine studie ist, sofort kaufen.

Amine 15 Sep 06

salut je veux achet� une golf