It's been just a little over a couple of months since Audi premiered the new-gen A8 luxury sedan and the car has already reached our shores for testing. The new Audi A8 sedan was spotted testing in Mumbai, Maharashtra with barely any camouflage. While the test mule was seen sporting Audi's four rings logo and also what appears to be the quattro badging, it did not have the A8 badging. Having said that, the distinctive OLED taillamps of the car were more than enough for us to know that this is, in fact, the new-generation Audi A8. We expect the new Audi A8 to make it to India sometime next year and cost upwards of Rs. 1 Crore.
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Currently in its fourth generation, the new Audi A8 now comes with an all-new exterior design language and an ultra-luxurious cabin with a premium interior that has huge impetus on future technology and connectivity. In fact, the car gets Level 3 autonomous driving, the first of its kind for any production car globally along with other autonomous driving features like - parking pilot, garage pilot and traffic jam pilot.
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Visually, the new Audi A8 sedan has gone through a sea of changes compared to the previous generation model and is in all sense, an all-new car. Based on the Prologue concept that was showcased back in 2014, the new-gen A8 gets a new front end design with a large single-frame grille with chrome surround and laser headlamps. The new A8 also gets a very distinct front daytime running light design combined with the matrix headlamps. The car is now a lot more muscular and instantly recognisable thanks to the sharp edges and shoulder line along with some prominent character lines along the bonnet, profile and rear. As mentioned earlier, the angled rear end of the A8 features a new tail lamp design with an end-to-end OLED (organic light-emitting diode) lights.
From the inside, the new Audi A8 is minimal and futuristic. The cockpit design is smart and simple and it comes with a very horizontally oriented dashboard that comes with a gloss black surfaces complemented by a high-mounted wood accent piece that runs across the dashboard and into the side panels. The Audi A8 features screen based controls for most of the functions. Clearly meant to be a chauffeur-driven car, Audi has paid a lot of attention in designing the rear seat comfort. In fact, the A8L a.k.a. long wheelbase model comes with optional 'relaxation seat' that comes with four different adjustment options and a footrest. The footrest will also have an inbuilt massager that can massage and warm the soles of the feet, all of which is incorporated into the front passenger seat.
Under the hood, the Audi A8 will come with a range of 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Audi will also launch the V8 petrol and diesel engines, while the top of the line model will be the W12 motor. There will also eventually be a powerful S8 variant. The new A8 will also get a hybrid or electrified version sometime in the future.
