The World Car Of The Year awards were announced yesterday ahead of the opening day of the New York Auto Show and while the Volvo XC 60 took home the top prize, the winners of the other categories too need a mention here. In the Luxury segment, it was the new generation Audi A8 that took top honors and a well-deserved one at that. We've driven the new-gen A8 and know what it's capable of, so though it was pitted against the likes of the Porsche Cayenne and the Panamera, the Audi wowed the judges.
undefinedThe World Luxury Car Of 2018 is Audi A8! #WCOTY #WorldCar #NYIAS pic.twitter.com/tBtDUKb9me
— World Car Awards (@WorldCarAwards) March 28, 2018
Also Read: Volvo XC60 Wins World Car Of The Year 2018
The new-gen A8 takes its inspiration from the Prologue concept that was showcased back in 2014 and also previewed the design direction that Audi was heading into. It gets a new front end design with a large single frame grille and laser headlamps. Though not a big change in terms of looks compared to the previous gen, the A8 now is sharper and more sophisticated. It gets a very distinct front daytime running light design combined with the matrix headlamps and this makes a world of difference to the overall look of the luxury sedan.
(Filip Brabec, Vice President of Product Management at Audi of America receives the award)
The changes continue on the inside too as the Audi A8 features screen based controls for most of the functions. These screens also turn off and integrate into the black surface giving the A8 a very minimalist design language. The gloss black surfaces on the interior are complimented with a high mounted wood accent piece that runs across the dashboard and into the side panels. The uniquely styled steering wheel is complimented by steering mounted touch controls and silver accents and of course there are the uber-luxurious rear seats which justify the car's luxury tag.
Also Read: 2018 Audi A8 First Drive Review
The new generation Audi A8 is also the most technologically advanced Audi ever as it comes with advanced Level 3 autonomous driving module. It also supports future autonomous driving features like parking pilot, garage pilot and traffic jam pilot. The A8 also gets the Quattro driveline as standard giving it permanent all-wheel-drive.
The A8 has won a prestigious award and as we've said before, it's a well- deserved one at that. It's scheduled to be launched in India later this year and we can't wait to see it here.
