Audi plans to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the 2015 TT by turning it into a crossover.
The German carmaker has released teaser sketches of the TT-based rossover concept that will debut at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show.
The sketches reveal a car with the same aggressive stance and low roofline as the recently-uneviled 2015 TT, but with four doors and the obligatory-for-a-crossover high ride height.
The interior is also heavily influenced by the production TT, with the same centralized driver-information pod and wing-shaped dashboard.
Details on the concept will have to wait until its Beijing Motor Show debut, but the TT connection means it most likely rides on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, which also underpins the A3 and numerous other Volkswagen Group models.
It also means propulsion could come from one of the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines offered in the TT, or maybe the 2.0-liter turbodiesel four offered on European models. Since this is a concept, a more exotic powertrain is also a possibility.
A production version of this concept, perhaps badged Q4, could serve as a more stylish alternative to the current Q3 and Q5 crossovers, performing a similar role to the BMW X4 and Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.
That would mean Audi’s small-crossover range could get pretty crowded. In addition to the Q3 and Q5, an even smaller Q1 is planned for 2016.
Yet the recent explosion of luxury-crossover models seems to indicate that lifted hatchbacks are what buyers want. I’d prefer a TT shooting brake.
