Audi replaces its flagship luxury-sedan range with a new generation starting this November with the arrival of the 4.2-liter, V8-powered A8 and the stretched wheelbase A8L. Audi will follow that up with this car, using the marque's unique W12 engine (four rows of three cylinders), in long-wheelbase chassis only. Now offering a full 500 hp (up 50 hp, or 10 percent), the company's technological showcase nevertheless returns improved fuel economy, in part thanks to a new eight-speed tiptronic transmission.
More than five inches longer than the outgoing model--with all the added length devoted to the comfort of rear-seat passengers--the A8L is, like its predecessor, built on an aluminum spaceframe structure that Audi claims reduces chassis mass 40 percent over an all-steel equivalent. This is offset somewhat by the standard quattro four-wheel-drive system, the panoramic glass dual sunroofs and other luxurious features. But in a car that stretches 17 feet, 3.5 inches (a bit longer than the Mercedes S-class), it lets Audi pack in those features at a curb weight no greater than its rivals from Munich or Stuttgart.
Audi says its car will be the first automobile that offers a true mobile WLAN rolling hot spot and takes advantage of this Internet connectivity by using a navigation system that uses Google maps to make any place on the planet a potential “point of interest” or destination. The hardware for this feature will be installed from the outset, though enabling its operation in the United States will await agreement with a mobile-communications partner.
Other new features include a “relaxation seat” option that provides a reclinable rear seat with a fold-down footrest in the back of the front passenger seat, all power operated. The front seat becomes unusable when this feature is fully utilized, but it does let Audi offer a Maybach-like luxury feature in a slightly less ostentatious package. Long as it is now, the A8L is still three feet shorter than the battleship-like Maybach 62.
In Europe, the car goes on sale in October and offers other engine options that include 3.0-liter and 4.2 liter turbodiesels and a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that burns gasoline. Audi has no immediate plans to use any of these engines in the U.S.-market A8, though Audi of America chief Johan De Nysschen says he'd like to offer clean diesel in every product line eventually. The supercharged V6 also has potential depending on economic and regulatory circumstances.
More than five inches longer than the outgoing model--with all the added length devoted to the comfort of rear-seat passengers--the A8L is, like its predecessor, built on an aluminum spaceframe structure that Audi claims reduces chassis mass 40 percent over an all-steel equivalent. This is offset somewhat by the standard quattro four-wheel-drive system, the panoramic glass dual sunroofs and other luxurious features. But in a car that stretches 17 feet, 3.5 inches (a bit longer than the Mercedes S-class), it lets Audi pack in those features at a curb weight no greater than its rivals from Munich or Stuttgart.
Audi says its car will be the first automobile that offers a true mobile WLAN rolling hot spot and takes advantage of this Internet connectivity by using a navigation system that uses Google maps to make any place on the planet a potential “point of interest” or destination. The hardware for this feature will be installed from the outset, though enabling its operation in the United States will await agreement with a mobile-communications partner.
Other new features include a “relaxation seat” option that provides a reclinable rear seat with a fold-down footrest in the back of the front passenger seat, all power operated. The front seat becomes unusable when this feature is fully utilized, but it does let Audi offer a Maybach-like luxury feature in a slightly less ostentatious package. Long as it is now, the A8L is still three feet shorter than the battleship-like Maybach 62.
In Europe, the car goes on sale in October and offers other engine options that include 3.0-liter and 4.2 liter turbodiesels and a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that burns gasoline. Audi has no immediate plans to use any of these engines in the U.S.-market A8, though Audi of America chief Johan De Nysschen says he'd like to offer clean diesel in every product line eventually. The supercharged V6 also has potential depending on economic and regulatory circumstances.