Next Audi TT to be fast four-door coupe

Four years after it showed the TT Sportback concept at the 2014 Paris motor show, Audi’s attempt to add a sexier four-door sedan to the TT range is about to become reality.

Unfortunately, it looks like it will only happen at the expense of a fourth generation of the once-jaw dropping TT Coupe and Convertible.

The next time the world sees a TT badge on a new car, it will be very different from the coupe of today, with a practical four-door 'coupe' arriving within two years.

Then R&D boss, Ulrich Hackenberg, floated the idea of a full, stand-alone TT range back in 2014, including a four-door version and even a crossover SUV, but a year later Audi found itself fighting to keep its head above the rising Dieselgate waters and the project was shelved.

The original Audi TT made its production debut 20 years ago, and its sales have fallen in the third generation as the market for two-door coupes has shrunk.

The next TT four-door will remain faithful to the original concept, though updated by a generation, sitting less than 300mm longer than the existing overblown coupe.

It will sit on the MQB Evo architecture that will underpin the Golf Mk8 next year, stretching the wheelbase out by about 120mm over the current TT.

Electrification is high on the agenda, too, with mild-hybrid 48-volt technology standard to save fuel and add low-down urge for both petrol and diesel versions, while there will also be EV and plug-in hybrid options.