Audi's New TT Looks Completely Different As An AUDI

But essentially, the Chinese-market EV manufacturer represents a way for the German company to get a foothold in the challenging region, which typically requires any foreign automaker to collaborate with a local one in order to be successful; witness the Mazda 6e/EZ-6 for proof.

But while AUDI cars may share little with Audi cars, maybe that formula should change. YouTube stylist Theottle seems to think so, rendering a version of the Concept C sports car without the four rings and with the all-caps design language. Could this be the Chinese-market TT of our dreams?

Going From Bauhaus To Guochao
Using the Audi Concept C as a starting point, Theottle's creation is dubbed the AUDI C Concept, using elements of the E5 Sportback. The roofline of the original design remains intact, but most other elements are replaced with their China-chic counterparts. That includes the Concept C's unusual, somewhat brutalist square grille opening, which is supposedly inspired by Auto Union race cars of the 1930s but rendered in a less ovoid form for the modern era. With a few swipes of the digital paintbrush, the polarizing Audi design is gone, replaced instead with the E5's grille-less front end that's dominated by an avowedly horizontal bumper cover and narrow, linear headlights.

It's the same story around the back, with the E5's rounded band of taillights and negative-space accents taking over the Concept C's crisp fenders. Another clear AUDI departure from the original Audi design is a glass rear hatch instead of a louvered fastback – the former more closely recalls the original TT, ironically enough. And we also sorta like the Theottle concept's rear quarter windows, which do away with the Audi Concept C's R8-esque sideblades.

Also notably absent is the original four-rings badge, with the all-caps AUDI script taking its place front and rear. The move would clearly be a concession to the modern Guochao movement, in which younger Chinese consumers are opting for their country's own offerings rather than imported goods at a much higher rate than older shoppers. The AUDI sub-brand could do well to offer a sports car in its lineup – potentially one using SAIC technology under its TT-ish skin – as a result.

Audi TT History
While looking to the future, it's helpful to place this fictional TT context with the original. Launched in 1998 as a 1999 model, the small TT sports car gave Audi a surprise hit to end the 20th century. The rounded, bubble styling was love-it-hate-it, but there was near universal praise for its spritely performance. That went up a notch when a larger VR6 engine was offered in 2003, but attention really fell to the TT with the second-generation launch for 2007.

The TT Mk2 with its sleeker fastback brought an air of aggression to the small sports car, and its that roofline we see in this new rendering. Later versions would focus even deeper on performance with Clubsport and RS trims, culminating with a 394-horsepower TT RS that bowed out in 2022.

Two Sides Of A Very Stylish Coin
Our opinions of which is better, the Audi Concept C or the AUDI C Concept, are split. Some of us on the CarBuzz staff prefer the original's simpler forms and retro-futurist design cues. Others like the Theottle rendering better, calling out its more conventionally attractive design and TT-spec greenhouse. That said, it ultimately doesn't matter which we prefer, because only one is headed to production – at least that's what the rumors say.

Despite a messy situation involving its Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster platform-mates, Audi remains committed to the Concept C (which will probably arrive in dealers as a reborn TT). Whether or not Porsche decides to turn its mid-engined sports cars into EVs, the production version of the Concept C will retain full-electric propulsion and help reignite passion at the German luxury manufacturer. And if China's AUDI brand gets a derivative, so much the better for everyone involved.