Audi TT design follows R8, VW Beetle

While we look forward to the high-tech compactness of the new Audi A3, it is the new TT model we really want to drive. Audi seems to know this, dribbling out information a little at a time before the car's Geneva auto show unveiling in early March. At CES, we saw the car's Virtual Cockpit, a huge step forward for Audi's cabin tech. Now, Audi slipped a few sheets from the designer's notebook to give us a vague idea of what the finished product will look like.

And, overall, it looks like a TT.

The sketches show a little dome-topped sports car, the same unique look the TT has had from its launch. However, new details become apparent in the images. For one, the headlights and taillights look geometrical, an interesting counterpoint to the curvy roofline. Audi notes that the headlights have dividers that serve as reflectors for the daytime running lights.

The rear of the roofline stretches back, appearing to retain the hatchback gained in the TT's second generation. Not quite as apparent in the sketches but called out in Audi's press release is a flattened roof, which would echo the new generation of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Audi points out that the TT gets dual exhausts for the majority of its engine variations, while a TTS variant will sport quad exhaust tips.

Engine options remain a mystery. For the US, expect two choices at most, both likely using direct injection and turbocharging. Audi's 2-liter four-cylinder engine, making 220 horsepower and available in the A3, seems a likely candidate. Quattro all-wheel-drive also seems likely. A front-wheel-drive version may happen if Audi wants to hit a low entry-level price for the US.

Asserting more of a family identity to Audi's powerful R8 model, the TT's single-frame grille gets a size reduction, and the four interlinked Auto Union rings that make up the Audi badge move to the leading edge of the hood.

The new TT is scheduled to see the light of day on Tuesday, March 4, at the 2014 Geneva auto show.