Audi TT Electric Successor Confirmed for 2027 Despite Porsche 718 EV Doubts

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner has sent an internal letter to his teams confirming that the Concept C — the electric successor to the TT — will indeed enter series production by 2027, regardless of the uncertainties surrounding the electric Porsche 718. Both models share the same PPE Sport platform with a central battery, but Audi insists that Porsche's delivery of this architecture "is not in question."

"The delivery of the platform by Porsche is not in question." — Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi, in an internal letter reported by the Donaukurier

When Confusion Around the 718 Nearly Sank the Concept C

It all began in early January 2026 with Oliver Blume's departure from the helm of Porsche, replaced by Michael Leiters. Bloomberg then reported that the electric 718 — announced at the start of the decade — was under review amid budget cuts aimed at reducing Volkswagen Group's spending by roughly 20%. Porsche had already lost its battery supplier Northvolt, which went bankrupt in late 2024, pushing the initial launch from 2026 to 2027. The project has been dragging: the first prototypes of the electric 718 were spotted in November 2022, meaning over four years of development already.

The mechanics of the panic are easy to grasp. If Porsche abandons the 718 EV, the platform Audi is working on loses its raison d'être — or at least, its funding becomes far more complicated. For Ingolstadt, that's a very real and very expensive problem.

What Döllner Actually Said — and What It Means

The internal letter, obtained by the German regional newspaper Donaukurier (based in Ingolstadt, Audi's headquarters), is unambiguous. Döllner writes that the collaboration between "Team Porsche and Team Audi" is proceeding normally and that the car has "a bright future." Asked separately by Motor1, Audi spokesperson Daniel Schuster had already dismissed cancellation rumors as "pure speculation."

What's interesting about this communication choice is the channel used. A letter to the teams, not a press release. Döllner is first seeking to reassure his engineers — those who have been working on the project for months — before addressing the markets. It's a familiar dynamic in large groups: when rumors start unsettling the internal teams, the boss steps out of his office.

A PPE Sport Platform: The Crux of the Matter

Technically, both cars share a variant of the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform, the same one that powers the Audi Q6 e-tron. The "Sport" version of this architecture was specifically designed for compact two-seat sports cars. It features a battery mounted ahead of the rear axle — what engineers call a "mid-battery architecture" — with an electric motor at the rear. According to EcoloAuto, an all-wheel-drive version with a second motor up front is also planned.

The contractual logic is clear, according to Automobile Propre: Porsche committed to delivering the platform to Audi. Even if Zuffenhausen decides not to produce its own electric 718, the architecture must still be developed to honor that commitment. Which means — and this is the jab Jalopnik couldn't resist — Audi could benefit from the