It’s worth taking a look at the history of the TT from a wider perspective. After all, to build a car, first you need to have a factory. In 1993, AUDI AG and the Hungarian government signed an agreement that would launch the investment in Győr and enable the creation of Hungary’s most cutting-edge production facility. Completed in 1994, the plant would initially only produce engines for cars manufactured in Germany – but not for long. After witnessing the know-how, expertise and enthusiasm of the people at Győr, a decision was made: Audi would move the entire production of a single car model to the Hungarian city. This model would turn out to be the Audi TT.

Romulus and Bauhaus

The textbooks will tell you that there are approximately 2,600 years between one of the founders of Rome and one of the most influential visual artistic movements of the 20th century. With the Audi TT, however, they managed to stand side by side. If a visual arts concept could stand, of course! In any case, at the start of the TT development process, automotive designer Thomas Freeman (pictured above) took his inspiration from Bauhaus, the early 20th-century artistic movement that involved numerous Hungarian figures like Marcell Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy. Also recognisable were the features of the TT’s predecessors – the DKW and NSU, earlier darlings of the Tourist Trophies on the Isle of Man (hence the name TT). Romulus Rost designed the interior. Their collaboration made the TT’s design a true innovation not only for Audi in the early 1990s, but also in sports car production – in visual terms – and the automotive industry as a whole.

Everything began in 1998 with the Audi TT Coupé. The model’s success laid the foundation for what was to come. And there wasn’t long to wait, given that production of the soft-top convertible Roadster followed in 1999. In early 2006, production started on the second generation of Audi TTs – designed by Walter de’Silva – with the range of TT models growing ever larger. Customer expectations were so aligned with Audi’s predictions that a series of superb sports cars and even sportier Coupés and Roadsters came next: the TTS, then, from 2009, the top-of-the-range TT RS, fitted with the legendary five-cylinder engine, also made in Győr. Finally, in 2014, third-generation production took off in Győr, with the full manufacturing process taking place at the Vehicle Factory, which had opened in 2013. In fact, we can say that the capacity and technology of the factory evolved together with Audi, making it one of the most cutting-edge production facilities in the world.

The Coupé, the Roadster and the rest - through the generations

Everything began in 1998 with the Audi TT Coupé. The model’s success laid the foundation for what was to come. And there wasn’t long to wait, given that production of the soft-top convertible Roadster followed in 1999. In early 2006, production started on the second generation of Audi TTs – designed by Walter de’Silva – with the range of TT models growing ever larger. Customer expectations were so aligned with Audi’s predictions that a series of superb sports cars and even sportier Coupés and Roadsters came next: the TTS, then, from 2009, the top-of-the-range TT RS, fitted with the legendary five-cylinder engine, also made in Győr. Finally, in 2014, third-generation production took off in Győr, with the full manufacturing process taking place at the Vehicle Factory, which had opened in 2013. In fact, we can say that the capacity and technology of the factory evolved together with Audi, making it one of the most cutting-edge production facilities in the world.

We won’t overwhelm you with cubic centimetres, horsepower and kilowatts – there are far more exciting figures to look at. For example, who would have thought that we would make 269,498 cars of the first-generation TT, and 241,276 of the second-generation models? The third series more than held its own too, with a further 145,000 cars rolling off the production line. The iconic sports car can be found all over the world, and has not only been shipped to every country in Europe, but has also proved a huge hit in the United States and Japan, too.

Audi TT 20 and 25 special editions

Though we are now celebrating the 25th anniversary, Audi and Győr also pulled out all the stops for its 20th birthday with a special limited anniversary edition with pre-defined specifications. The 999 Audi ATs in Nano Grey metallic or Floret Silver pearl colouring received the rear OLED lights that would become the brand’s trademark. Inside, passengers were greeted by sports seats and yellow contrast-shaded decorative stitching in moccasin brown leather upholstery. The 25th jubilee of the Audi TT coincided with the 30th birthday of the Győr factory, which meant that a joint presentation of the brand and the iconic model was in order. Audi welcomed the dual anniversary with an iconic limited edition TT RS Coupé. Just 100 cars were made of the model – at Audi Hungaria in Győr, of course. Where else?

In Győr, life after making the final TT hasn’t stopped, of course – quite the opposite! In 2024, production begins of the first model of a new brand, the CUPRA Terramar. Last November, series production started for a new generation of electric motors for Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which will power the Audi iQ6 e-tron model series. November also saw production of the 500,000th electric motor made in Győr. As one of Volkswagen Group’s flagship companies, Audi Hungaria is moving forward – as always – in order to remain an active leader in the evolution of the automotive industry.