The new A8 places Audi among the innovation leaders in the luxury segment. One great strength of the big sedan is its lightweight construction. The Audi A8 3.0 TFSI with the normal wheelbase has a kerb weight of just 1,830 kilograms – best-in-class for models with all-wheel drive. The body is made almost entirely of aluminum; an Audi Space Frame (ASF) design, it weighs just 231 kilograms.
Length (5.14 metres), wheelbase (2.99 metres), width (1.95 metres) and height (1.46 metres) remain unchanged.
The A8 L gains an additional 13 centimetres in both length and wheelbase. Both body variants feature a new boot layout for easier loading. Additional noise damping measures reduce the already low interior noise level even further.
Audi offer the A8 in Europe with two petrol and two diesel engines. These are the supercharged 3.0 TFSI with 228kW, the V8 twin-turbo 4.0 TFSI with 320kW, the highly efficient 3.0 TDI clean diesel with 190kW and the extremely high-torque 4.2 TDI clean diesel, which produces 283kW and 850Nm.
Performance has increased with most engines. When paired with quattro all-wheel drive, the 4.0 TFSI now accelerates the A8 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Under partial load, the Audi cylinder on demand (COD) system deactivates four of the eight cylinders. The most efficient engine is the 3.0 TDI clean diesel, which consumes just 5.9 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, which corresponds to 155 grams CO2 per kilometre. All engines satisfy the Euro 6 emissions standard. Friction-reducing measures reduce consumption by as much as 10 percent.
In Europe, these classic variants are joined by three additional models. The top-of-the-line model is the luxuriously equipped Audi A8 L W12 quattro. Its petrol engine is particularly short and lightweight thanks to its W layout. Displacing 6.3 litres, it produces 368kW. It also boasts best-in-class fuel consumption of 11.7 litres per 100 kilometres, corresponding to 270 grams CO2 per kilometre. It also has a CoD system that was designed specifically for it. At low load, it deactivates the fuel injection and ignition for six cylinders. The available Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) ensures excellent acoustic comfort.
With 380 kW , the S8 is Audi’s largest sports sedan. Paired with quattro all-wheel drive, its sonorous 4.0 TFSI accelerates the S8 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. Average fuel consumption for the S8 is just 10.1 litres per 100 kilometres, corresponding to 235 grams CO2 per kilometre. The COD system plays a key role here, too. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a technology that is also used in the A8 4.0 TFSI quattro, the A8 L W12 quattro and the A8 hybrid, uses precise antiphase noise to combat intrusive noise in the cabin while operating on four cylinders while active engine mounts dampen vibration. The chassis and many body details reflect the sporty positioning of the S8.
The new A8 comes standard with a fast and smooth-shifting, eight-speed tiptronic. The electronically controlled automatic transmission is paired with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Audi also offers an optional sport differential for the rear axle, which distributes the power between the rear wheels as needed. The sport differential is standard in the S8 and the A8 4.2 TDI clean diesel quattro.
The sedan owes its sporty character in large part to the sophisticated chassis. The Audi drive select system, which varies the function of various technology modules, is standard. It also controls the adaptive air suspension with adaptive damping. Audi offers the air suspension with a sporty setup upon request. The power steering uses an efficient electromechanical drive. Dynamic steering, which varies the ratio as a function of the speed driven, is available as an option. Carbon-fibre ceramic brake discs are available for V8 models and the A8 L W12 quattro.
More details on specification and pricing will be revealed closer to launch.
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