Rocket Espresso and Audi are bringing automotive design to the coffee counter. The new Rocket x Audi espresso machine takes Rocket’s prosumer-grade Bicocca platform and reinterprets it through Audi’s distinctive design language, with the original Audi TT providing some of the collaboration’s most recognizable inspiration.

Developed through a collaboration between Rocket Espresso, the Audi Design Team and Milan-based Valerio Cometti + V12Design, the Rocket x Audi Espresso Machine goes considerably further than placing four rings on an existing appliance. Its proportions, materials, controls and surfaces were considered as part of a complete design system, while a specially developed Spluga grinder extends the concept into a matching coffee setup.

The Rocket x Audi Espresso Machine Channels the TT

Anyone familiar with the first-generation Audi TT should understand why it makes sense as inspiration for an espresso machine. Introduced with a design that favored geometric simplicity over unnecessary decoration, the TT quickly became one of Audi’s defining modern design objects.

Those principles carry directly into the Rocket x Audi espresso machine, which draws inspiration from both the original TT and the Audi Avus concept car. Their influence has been translated through clean surfaces, restrained lines, strong volumes and carefully controlled proportions, with V12Design also pointing to the Bauhaus principles behind Audi’s approach.

The body is finished in matte aluminum contrasted against glossy black handles and rotary controls. Sculpted side panels rise progressively toward the rear, giving the machine a more dynamic silhouette while forming a natural boundary around cups placed on top.

Circular aluminum feet lift the substantial body slightly above the counter, creating an almost floating appearance. The brewing unit itself has also been shaped to follow the surrounding geometry rather than looking like a separate component attached to the front. It is automotive influence expressed through industrial design instead of automotive branding simply applied after the fact.

Rocket’s Bicocca Provides the Serious Hardware

Audi may provide much of the visual inspiration, but Rocket Espresso supplies the machinery underneath it. The Rocket x Audi espresso machine is based on the company’s Bicocca platform and uses dual stainless-steel boilers, including a 0.5-liter coffee boiler and a 1.5-liter steam boiler. A rotary pump handles pressure, while an electrically heated brewing group regulated by PID temperature control is designed to maintain consistent temperatures throughout operation.

There is also a 1.8-liter water tank and 1,600 watts of power, while the entire machine weighs a substantial 35 kilograms, or roughly 77 pounds.

More important than the numbers themselves is what they represent. This is not an Audi-branded countertop sculpture designed primarily to look impressive next to a set of expensive knives. The Rocket hardware underneath the aluminum body makes it a legitimate prosumer espresso machine built for repeatable extraction and serious home use.

Audi Design Extends From the Body to the Controls

The automotive thinking continues once the machine is turned on. An integrated 3.5-inch touchscreen sits discreetly within the upper portion of the brewing unit, preserving the clean front profile while providing access to the machine’s digital controls. Rocket describes the interface as textless, relying primarily on visual symbols rather than filling the display with menus and copy.

Frequently used functions still rely on physical controls. The Rocket x Audi Espresso Machine features glossy black rotary knobs and the substantial portafilter handle provide the tactile interaction that would be lost if every operation were moved onto a screen.

It is a balance that feels particularly appropriate for Audi, where digital technology and physical interaction have long had to coexist inside increasingly sophisticated cabins. V12Design also worked custom Audi colors into the touchscreen interface, extending the brand identity into the software without overwhelming the otherwise restrained design.

Even the Grinder Was Designed to Match

Rocket and Audi did not treat the espresso machine as a standalone object. A specially developed version of Rocket’s Spluga grinder accompanies the machine, with the two products designed to function as one cohesive coffee system. Their proportions, finishes and details share the same visual language so that the grinder does not look like an unrelated accessory sitting beside the centerpiece.

That approach helps explain what makes the collaboration interesting in the first place. Rather than producing a special-edition appliance and stopping there, Rocket, Audi and V12Design attempted to translate the automaker’s broader design philosophy into an entirely different product category.

For anyone building the type of kitchen where an espresso setup becomes part appliance and part design object, the matching pair makes a compelling argument.

How Much Is the Rocket x Audi Espresso Machine?

Rocket Espresso has not announced official U.S. pricing or detailed stateside availability for the collaboration on its launch page. Whenever the Rocket x Audi espresso machine reaches more countertops, however, it will enter a crowded category of automotive lifestyle products where familiar badges often carry more weight than meaningful design.

This one takes a different route. The original Audi TT and Avus concept influence the actual form of the machine, Rocket’s Bicocca hardware gives it genuine espresso credentials, and the matching Spluga grinder extends the idea beyond a single branded appliance. From the matte aluminum architecture and sculpted side panels to the combination of tactile controls and digital interface, the connection between both brands runs through the product itself.

Rocket brought the coffee hardware. Audi brought the design DNA. Together, they created the Rocket x Audi Espresso Machine that looks like it could have rolled directly out of Ingolstadt.

Via Rocket Espresso