Displaying items by tag: Audi A8

Wednesday, 03 November 2021 07:16

Refurbished Audi A8 & S8

At Audi, they have made sure that the adequately refreshed fourth generation of their flagship, which hides behind the A8 / S8 label, remains among the most desirable high-class cars.

In line with trend and demand, Ingolstadt has more and more SUVs on offer, but they are not giving up on their sedans, which have been led by the luxury model behind the A8 for years and has reached the fourth generation presented in the edition after the refreshment treatment. .

The redesigned Audi A8 exterior features an even larger and wider one-piece radiator grille with even more chrome, and there are slightly different bumper openings and new light housings equipped with state-of-the-art matrix technology. The graphics in the housings of the rear digital OLED lights are also new, and the A8 is now offered for the first time in combination with the body elements that are characteristic of the S Line equipment package. The news is rounded off by nine new body colors.

Minor changes to the cabin that bring top-of-the-line materials include the latest edition of Audi's digital instrument panel (Audi Virtual Cockpit) with an optional head-up display, and two rear passenger displays on the center console. seats that in the version with even greater wheelbase (A8 L) can count on extra space in front of the legs.

The redesigned A8 is powered by the famous three-liter and 4.0-liter turbo gasoline engines with six and eight cylinders, aided by mild and plug-in hybrid technology, which offer from 340 to 460 hp, and the three-liter turbodiesel V6 engine with 286 hp also remains on offer. An 8-speed automatic transmission is in charge of transmitting power to both axles (quattro) in all versions.

In parallel with the standard model, the most powerful version behind the S8 label has been similarly refreshed, and it is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine that develops 571HP.

Sales of the redesigned "Osmica" will start next month, with 99,500 euros set aside for the base model in Germany and 144,800 euros for the super-fast S8, which reaches "hundred" in 3.8 seconds.

 

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There are no visible screens, and everything is digitized. The steering wheel and pedals may disappear when they are not needed. Rear passengers sit on sofas. This is a "private plane, but for the trip." The successor to the Audi A8 will be the electric, autonomous GT coupe-sedan, and the public will see it for the first time at the upcoming Munich Motor Show. However, before the official premiere, the German premium manufacturer revealed photos of a concept that introduces a radical design for the future flagship of the brand.


Audi described the concept as a "private plane but for the road", because it will be equipped with a fourth level of autonomous driving. This means that Grandsphere will drive its passengers on its own when needed. Then the steering wheel and pedals are automatically retracted into their housings.


Perhaps most unusual of all is the design solution that there are no visible screens, buttons and physical controllers in the cabin.

After starting, the most important information for each passenger is projected on the entire front part, and the screens are actually imperceptibly integrated into the front panel, which displays their contents.


The rear doors open to the opposite side and there is no B-pillar here to make access to the cabin easier. Passengers are greeted with personalized audio and visual digital messages, while the air conditioning and seat position are automatically adjusted exactly to the measurements of their users as soon as they are accommodated.
"The first class has switched to the front of the cab," they say from Audi because controlling the vehicle no longer has to depend on the driver. That is why, for example, the front seats are designed for maximum comfort, and the front seats can be lowered up to an angle of 60 degrees. There is nothing worse in the back either, because the passengers are sitting on the sofa.


As this is a luxury concept, the air in the cabin is filtered, the temperature is adjusted automatically, and if necessary, a pleasant smell can spread through the interior. Between the front seats is a refrigerator with two glasses and a specially designed bottle.

As long as 5,350mm, 2,000mm wide, Grandsphere offers a wheelbase of more than 3 meters (3,190mm). This means that the future model is much longer than the extended version of the current A8. But, from Audi, they emphasize that this is a more four-door coupe, and not a traditional limousine.

With a low silhouette, a very aerodynamic design comes with a long hood despite being an electric car.

It looks like a bullet in the back for better efficiency. It is not yet certain how much the serial model will look like the concept, writes Autocar, but it is most likely that it will not have 23-inch wheels.

The concept is based on the new PPE platform, which was created in cooperation with Porsche, and on which the new Audi Q6 and Macan will be built.

Grandsphere uses a 120 kW battery that will provide a range of as much as 750 km, while the twin-electric motor will have 720 horsepower and 960 Nm. In theory, acceleration from 0-100 km / h is about 4 seconds.

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Sunday, 24 January 2021 05:46

Audi announces shutdown of A4, A6 and A8 models!

Audi has set a date for the suspension of the A4 and A6 models powered by internal combustion engines. The same goes for the Audi A8. The Bavarians obviously do not want to invest significant sums of money even in the development of models from the plug-in hybrid segment. The decisions of the company's leaders represent the cornerstone for the realization of the idea of ​​Audi CEO Marcus Dysman, who wants this brand to leave the production of conventional cars.

The mentioned Disman has been at the helm of Audi for a shorter period of one year, and the German Manager Magazine reports that its plan for the development of the brand implies that the new generations of A4 and A6 sedans will be presented again from 2023, shortly after electric editions. However, Audi doesn’t even want conventional mid-size sedan variants to be in the sales mix for the rest of the life cycle of that generation of sedans. So, the end of the offer for A4 and A6 will come before we reach 2030.

When it comes to the limousine flagship marked A8, it should be said that the premiere of the restyled version is expected by the end of this year. It should also be the last resort to keep the big sedan current, and Audi also does not want to artificially extend the life of this vehicle even by offering it as a representative of the PHEV segment.

Manager Magazine reports that Disman already perceives the mentioned models as "living dead", indirectly quoting him, ie transmitting his words in a slightly freer translation, that the company's policy is to order the suspension of the promotion of old technology after the federal elections planned for autumn this year. . The Bavarians believe that customers will simply lose interest in conventional Audi models after that.

Almost two weeks ago, the head of Audi told another German business weekly, Wirtschaftswoche, that the company is currently working on a concrete plan that envisages phasing out and shutting down the offer of models powered by internal combustion engines, which will be a process that ends "in the next ten, maybe fifteen years".

The focus of teams of experts employed by the company from Ingolstadt is increasingly occupied by purely electric models. Disman further emphasized the importance of battery models for the premium brand by declaring work on the Artemis project, immediately after he took the chair of the brand’s commander-in-chief. According to a report published by Automobilwoche at the very beginning of the year, the first model developed under the auspices of the Artemis project will be presented at the IAA event taking place this fall.

Serial production of the model is scheduled for the end of 2024. Disman recently said that the model will not be a large sedan or a large SUV, which would eventually be placed in a class above the A8 or Q7: "It will be a new category vehicle and we will not tie it for symbol A, nor for index Q. ”

Finally, Audi has entered the premium electric vehicle market with its e-tron models.

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