All posts tagged audi a8
Audi A8 SR 8 by Hofele Design
German tuner Hofele Design unveiled the SR 8, its own new interpretation of Audi A8. The front bumper is quite reminiscent of the styling adopted by the latest ‘RS’ models and gives us a taste of how a possible RS8 would look like. The rear end is definitely more elaborated as it features a specifically designed diffuser, modified exhaust tailpipes and a flashy trunk-mounted rear wing. Carbon fiber rearview mirrors are also available as extras.
Hofele Design’s rendition of the A8 features 20″ alloy wheels and a suspension lowering module which can lower the ride height by 40mm, according to the speed. In the cabin there are two-tone leather seats, while an alcantara option is also available. Hofele Design also offer door panels and steering wheel cover made of the same materials. As for the mechanical side, both V8 petrol and diesel engines used by standard A8s can exploit a different ECU mapping, which would be especially good for the TDI version as it would provide it with an extra 35 hp, boosting its power to 385 hp and the maximum torque up to an impressive 900 Nm.
View the full Audi A8 SR 8 by Hofele Design photo gallery
Audi A8 Hybrid
After the Audi A6 hybrid, here is Audi’s flagship sedan, the A8, in hybrid form which should be ready to hit markets in 2012. The model is a direct development on the A8 Hybrid Concept that we saw at last year’s Geneva Show and should finally bring Audi fully into the hybrid segment, making it competitive as it does so.
The Audi A8 Hybrid uses the two-litre TFSI engine with 211 hp and 350 Nm of torque, and matches it to an electric motor for a total of 245 hp and 480 Nm. That’s not bad for a cruising sedan with some power behind it. The A8 Hybrid then goes on to use an eight-speed ZF transmission and a multi-disc wet clutch.
The A8 Hybrid battery of 1.3 kW can also do three kilometres at a top speed of 60 km/hr for a short zero emissions run, and Audi claims average fuel consumption of 6.4 l/100 km. Getting to 100 km/hr takes 7.7 seconds and the top speed is 235 km/hr. Driving modes include “EV” for zero emissions, “D” for hybrid setup, and “S” for a more dynamic drive.
Audi vs BMW and Mercedes in Germany
Yesterday we mentioned how Audi has stormed ahead on the Chinese car market with its A6L sedan and it seems its status as a luxury car brand is doing well elsewhere too - almost surprisingly in Germany itself. The home turf war between Audi, BMW and Mercedes would surely be harder fought that anywhere else in the world, with local loyalties and prejudices held more tenaciously.
But according to Car and Driver, Audi has the best image in Germany compared to the market perception of BMW and Mercedes. Jens Meiners says:
Good news for Audi in the luxury segment: last month’s sales figures for Germany are out, and the A8 surpassed both the Mercedes-Benz S-class and the still-fresh BMW 7-series. This tells you something about the A8′s excellent image here [in Germany]. On common German home turf, Audi is entirely on par with Mercedes and BMW. In fact, one could argue that it has achieved the most comfortable position. Audi quite simply stands for superior innovation and design. Mercedes-Benz, by contrast, seems to go after every niche and struggles to recast itself as a sportier, more youthful brand; BMW tries to shift its focus from aggressive sportiness to “sustainability.”
We’ve always been skeptical about Mercedes-Benz’ push to become “younger”. That might seem cynical of us seeing as we’re still on the youthful side of 40, but really I’ve come to appreciate recently that Mercedes does luxury sedans like no other. They’re just not for me. And we love BMW sportiness, but the whole new ‘i’ thing just doesn’t do it for us.
So could Audi become the world’s next number one luxury German brand? They’re certainly counting on it and a model like the A8 does well across the board. If the Audi A9 coupe makes production,we’ll be very interested to see how it’s received.
Audi, BMW and Nissan finalists in 2011 World Car of the Year Award
The Audi A8, new BMW 5 Series and electric Nissan Leaf will be the final three finalists in the 2011 World Car of the Year awards. The final verdict will be given on April 21st during the New York Auto Show, and will be the result of the evaluations of 66 judges. The vehicles involved have to have been on sale in at least two continents between January 1st and May 31 to be considered for the prize.
The Nissan Leaf gets two nominations because it’s also competing in the World Green Car of the Year category alongside the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition and the Chevrolet Volt. The World Performance Car of the Year finalists are the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Mercedes SLS AMG and the Porsche 911 Turbo. Frankly, it’s quite a predictable line-up and the only thing that will make it interesting is if the Leaf gets to win in the overall category as well, marking a moment when electric cars finally turn the corner and compete with their fuel-powered counterparts.
New Audi A8 vs Mercedes in Super Bowl ad
Not being in the US and therefore not being particularly involved in the Super Bowl, it’s easy for us to underestimate just how blatantly Audi takes aim at Mercedes in this car commercial for the Audi A8. The spot will screen at the Super Bowl - an event which has often been described as the US’ most important advertising opportunity. As Audi tries to establish its foothold more firmly on the US market, we can only imagine that this screening is essential to that strategy. While we would have chosen a different theme, the ad is based on a popular children’s book called Goodnight Moon, and we expect there are well-reasoned motives behind that. See what you think in the video above.
Audi A8 hybrid new pics: preparing for Paris motor show
Audi has created an ecological flagship in the new A8 hybrid, which still has the classic, smooth sedan lines of the A8. The A8 hybrid present at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show is a not-quite-final prototype of a car which will have its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show in October. The only changes likely to occur on the final Paris version are aesthetic, as the technical aspects of the car have already been decided.
The Audi A8 hybrid is equipped with a 2.0-litre TFSI engine with 211 hp and 350 Nm of torque, and an electric motor with another 34 hp and 211 Nm. Fuel consumption is down to 6.2-litres per 100 km, although the car weighs 1,885 kg. CO2 emissions measure 144 g/km, and acceleration to 100 km/hr takes 7.6 seconds. Top speed in hybrid function is 235 km/hr, and in full electric mode, top speed is 65 km/hr.
Continue reading: Audi A8 hybrid new pics: preparing for Paris motor show
Audi A1 and RS5 live at Geneva motor show
Four models from Audi: the Audi A1, Audi RS5 and the two prototypes A8 hybrid and A1 E-Tron, have been presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. You can see all the new models in these live pics from the Audi stand at Geneva, with the A1 and RS5 appearing in dealerships in the next few months.
The Audi A8 hybrid is a classic hybrid model with combined electric and fuel power with a total of 245 hp. 34 hp come from the electric component while the 2.0-litre TSI supplies 211 hp. The A1 E-Tron on the other hand, is a range extending model that uses a fuel engine as a generator to the electric part. No impressive performance figures are to be seen here, just amazingly low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions - the former measures just 1.9-litres of petrol for every 100 km. At the show, Audi is also celebrating 30 years of its Quattro all-wheel drive technology.
Audi live pics from 2010 Geneva: A1 and RS5
New Audi A8 commercial: A8 hybrid on show at Geneva
The new Audi A8 hybrid version will be on display at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but in the meantime here is the A8 commercial. The standard Audi A8 is available on the market with a 4.2-litre V8 TFSI Quattro with 372 hp and a 4.2-litre V8 TDI with 350 hp. The Audi A8 hybrid appears at the Geneva show with the new Audi Q5 hybrid at a standa which will also feature the Audi A1 premium compact car.
Audi A8 hybrid at 2010 Geneva Motor Show
Following the Audi Q5 hybrid will be the new Audi A8 hybrid, to be presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March. The announcement of the new A8 hybrid was made at the Detroit auto show by Audi America president Johan de Nysschen, and is part of Audi’s ambitious target of selling one million models in the year 2010.
The same man famous for describing the Chevrolet Volt as a stupid car, has confirmed that Audi intends on saying no to those technologies which don’t represent real progress, and will therefore only focus on “full hybrid” cars, and not “mild hybrids” as in the case of the Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7-Series, for example. It seems the US is fast catching on to Europe’s focus on the environment, and it’s interesting to see the Q5 as the first Audi hybrid choice.
Audi A8 new pics and pricing
Prices for the new Audi A8 have been released, along with more pics of the new sedan in the new A8 gallery below. It shows more of the A8 interior, clearly showing luxurious and high quality finishes. While the exterior design is nothing really to write home about, the interior shows that Audi has done its homework and intends to compete seriously with other luxury sedans.
The pricing for the new Audi A8 place the new sedan firmly in the luxury class with the 4.2-litre V8 TFSI Quattro with 372 hp starting at 89,300 euros. The 4.2-litre TDI Quattro with 350 hp will cost 90,800 euros. These prices are relevant to the German market, include taxes, and are based on the new eight-speed automatic transmission.
Other models’ pricing will be announced at a later date, although it’s possible that the V6 range will start at about 70,000 euros. According to World Car Fans, prices in the UK will start at a range of £54,760 to £66,240.
Audi A8 video and S8 news
Here’s the official video of the new Audi A8 sedan, including some road footage and beauty shots to get a closer look. The new A8 will debut first with the 4.2-litre TFSI V8 engine with 372 hp, followed by the TDI V8 with 350 hp. We also get a look at the new MMI multimedia system with touch pad function.
Talk is already occurring on when we will see the S8 sports version as well. Autocar reports that the S8 will set the design benchmark for the future performance models from Audi. The new design language will subsequently appear on the Audi S1, S6 and S7. This also confirms that we will see “S” versions of the Audi A7 and new A1 hatch, and they will hopefully include greater stylistic differences than the current S range provides over the standard models.
New Audi A8 pics and details
Here’s a look at the new Audi A8 flagship sedan, presented at Miami. The new A8 shows classic Audi design and plenty of links with the previous version. It does, however, include plenty of new features that are not just skin deep.
The new Audi A8 has the LED lights, which we knew were coming from the first teaser shot, and which change direction based on information from the navigation system. It has a more fuel efficient, updated 4.2-litre FSI V8 engine with 372 hp and transmission based on an eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox.
The A8 is a bigger car than before, larger than its competitors and with a lower wheelbase. The chassis is based on Audi’s Aluminium Space Frame, and the whole comes in either a standard or extended wheelbase model. For more details, see after the jump for the summary press release, and check it all out in the large Audi A8 gallery.
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