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NEWS
Audi TT mans up
"More masculine" Audi TT design will attract more men – and women – says AudiThe all-new Audi TT is a technological tour de force, boasting the sort of tech toys that would get James Bond's tick of approval, such as a virtual cockpit, car-sensing Matrix LED headlights and a fancy new quattro system.
But it's not the cutting-edge gadgets that will convince buyers to plonk down their money for one of the iconic sports cars, reckons Audi.
"Design is the number one purchasing decision for customers in this sports car segment," stated Audi communications manager Oscar da Silva Martins during the car's technical briefing, confident the new third-generation TT will have much broader appeal thanks to its butch new design.
Audi admits that some male buyers were put off by the "feminine" design of the current second generation model, whose curvaceous visage is in stark contrast to the new Audi TT's angular face.
Revealed to the world at the 2014 Geneva motor show, the new Audi TT's design has far more machismo than previous iterations, something the TT's project design team leader Dany Garand says will increase its appeal – to men and women.
"Definitely we wanted to create a more legitimate gender to this car, and our goal was to make it more masculine," he told motoring.com.au.
Arriving in Australia in early 2015, the smart new Audi TT will be priced roughly the same as the current models, so expect to pay around $70,000 for an entry-level model.
The first generation Audi TT's design is "gender neutral" says Garand (pictured), and the second generation model that will be replaced next year has a "touch of feminine character" he explains.
"But this one is definitely more of an athlete," says the exterior car designer, likening the new TT's design to a "young healthy fit man".
The expressive new style also draws inspiration from the Audi R8 super car and Audi's Le Mans race car, the R18 e-Tron, says the German car company. But by injecting gallons of testosterone into the Audi TT design, will the sporty coupe alienate its female buyers?
Quite the opposite says Garand.
"As far as I'm concerned male and female buyers will be more attracted to a more masculine-oriented design. We open a wider band of acceptance with this," he posits.
Offered with a trio of engine choices initially, all of them four-cylinder turbos, the fastest model dubbed the TT S bangs out a hefty 228kW and will cost around $100,000. It will accelerate from 0-100km/h in a rapid-fire 4.7 seconds.
The TT S is expected to arrive in Australia a couple of months after the entry-level 135kW diesel and 169kW petrol models.
The 'TT' name is short for Tourist Trophy, named after the famous Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, which one of the four companies represented in the Audi rings logo, NSU, used to compete in.
Garand says that female car buyers are part of the "leading group" in western cultures and express themselves appropriately; especially in the cars they drive.
"You see women in very important management positions, you see ladies racing on the track, in DTM [German touring cars], they're everywhere now. They're up there, and they want to express themselves.
"They will like this car. It's still very practical, one of its major assets," Garand said.
Do you agree with the Audi TT designer, that the sharp new model have more visual appeal for both men and women? Have your say in the comments below.
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Written byFeann Torr
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