It may be the end of the line for the small-and-stylish two-door from Audi if a new report is to be believed. The German automaker has reportedly greenlit the next-generation TT exclusively as a “four-door coupe” set to hit showrooms within the next two years, according to Auto Express.
The reason? Practicality and profit, unsurprisingly. Given the modern consumer’s obsession with space and ride height, a low-slung coupe apparently makes little business sense, with an Audi board member telling Auto Express, “If you set falling demand against rising costs, it’s obvious Audi cannot sustain its present course in the medium term. Instead, there has been intensive consideration of the coupe and the convertible in the compact segment.” Translation: The two-door TT juice just ain’t worth the squeeze.
This isn’t the first time Audi has toyed with the idea of a four-door TT. At the 2014 Paris Motor Show, Audi unveiled a TT Sportback concept along with a lifted offroad variant with plans to bring ’em into production. Less than a year later, Dieselgate hit the company hard and those plans had to be put on the backburner. Until now, apparently.
According to the report, the production TT Sportback’s design has already been approved and finalized. Expect it to have similar proportions to the concept car and ride on an updated and elongated version of the MQB platform that underpins the current TT, A3, VW Golf, and a myriad of other compact Volkswagen Group cars.
The Drive has contacted Audi for comment and will update if we hear back.
UPDATE: In an email to The Drive, an Audi spokesperson said that the company “cannot provide any further information” on any future, four-door TTs.