It’s hard to believe that the Audi TT->ke1081 has been around for 16 years. Back in 1998, the first-generation TT coupe->ke141 arrived around the same time the Titanic soundtrack was at the top of the music charts. Jack and Rose have long since been etched in our memories but the TT is still alive and quite frankly, more popular than ever before. This brings us to September 2014 when Audi->ke14 officially pulled the covers off of the third-generation TT Roadster at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.->ke227 It didn’t take long, two months in fact, for Audi to finally begin production of the all-new TT Roadster at the company’s factory in Győr, Hungary.

The ceremony, if you can even call it that, was attended by Audi AG chairman Rupert Stadler together with Hungary prime minister Viktor Orbán and Győr mayor Zsolt Borkai.

The significance of Audi’s Győr factory can’t be understated, now more than ever since the TT Roadster becomes the fourth production model to be built in the new factory, joining the A3 Sedan, the A3 Cabriolet, and the TT Coupe as proudly Hungarian made.

Audi commented at the 2014 Paris Motor Show that Germany was getting first dibs on the TT Roadster. As far as the U.S. is concerned, the 2016 Audi TT Roadster isn’t expected to arrive until the middle of 2015.

The good news is that the arrival of the TT Roadster will coincide with that of the more powerful TTS Roadster version. For now, we’re just excited that production of the car is up-and-running and the countdown to the car's arrival in this side of the world has begun.

Click past the jump to read more about the Audi TT Roadster.

Why it matters

The start of production of the 2016 Audi TT Roadster is as good a sign as any that progress is being made toward its impending sales launch in dealerships. But it's also important to note that Audi's Győr production facility in Hungary, the first Audi plant outside Germany in 21 years, is doing the job.

It's a remarkable achievement for the factory to begin production of its fourth model since opening in June 2013. In the 17 months since the ribbon was cut at the Győr production facility, it has built more than 100,000 models and has created more than 11,000 jobs.

It’s always important to highlight the cars, but sometimes, paying homage to the labor side of the industry and the people directly responsible for the production of cars like the new TT Roadster is just as important.

That’s what Stadler was alluding to when he boasted that the company’s decision to build a facility in Hungary was the “right decision." And it's also why we're dedicating this space to those fine men and women who put in the work to build cars like the TT Roadster so that the rest of the world can enjoy them.

Keep up the good work, fellas!

Audi TT Roadster

The debut of the 2016 Audi TT Roadster at the 2014 Paris Motor Show came six months after the TT Coupe arrived at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in March 2014.

Just like its coupe counterpart, the new TT Roadster arrived with a dramatically improved look compared to its predecessor. The new headlights immediately caught our attention and the sharper cuts and angular edges on the body were a far departure from the rotund-looking TTs of the past. The steel roll-over bars just above the wall that separates the cabin to the luggage compartment continue to be design and safety hallmarks of the TT Roadster.

As far as engines are concerned, the 2016 TT Roadster will share the same options as the coupe. The base unit is a Volkswagen Golf GTD-derived 2.0-liter TDI engine that’s good for 184 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The naught to 60 mph time of 7.4 seconds isn’t going to blow anybody away, but its top speed of 146 mph is good enough to get people excited.

Moving up the TT Roadster’s engine ranks leads us to the 2.0-liter TFSI powerplant that pumps out 230 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.

Once you’re atop the TT Roadster’s engine lineup, you’ll find yourself in the company of the TTS Roadster. The more performance-oriented version of the TT features a modified, 2.0-liter, TFSI engine that develops 310 ponies and 280 pound-feet of twist. The TTS Roadster can cover the 0-to-60 sprint in 4.9 seconds to go with a top speed of 155 mph.