Cars & Autos | Monday 5 February, 2018 12:54 am |

At the International Dubai Motorshow last November, Audi Middle East celebrated the regional premiere of the new Audi A8. Customers based in the region have been enthusiastically placing their orders since the middle of January 2018 and in only a few weeks, the brand with the Four Rings has already secured over a quarter of their 2018 allocation for their flagship model. With strikingly stylish design, first-class chassis solutions, a touch operating concept and the electrification of all drive units, the fourth generation of the A8 provides the latest reference for Vorsprung durch Technik. The basic price in the UAE for the flagship is 357,000 AED (including VAT); the long-wheelbase version starts at 380,100 AED.

 

The Audi A8 signals the dawning of a new design era for the entire brand. It stands for sporty elegance, progressive status and sophistication. The front-end with its broad, upright Singleframe grille, the fluidly muscular vehicle body, and the rear with the continuous light strip exude a strong presence. The interior has a deliberate minimalist feel. Audi carries its high quality standards into the digital age with a revolutionary operating concept. Two touch displays located in the center slot almost seamlessly into the high-gloss black surface thanks to black-panel technology. When the driver activates a function on these displays with a finger, they hear and feel a click by way of confirmation. The combination of acoustic and haptic feedback along with common touch gestures such as swiping make the new MMI touch response safe, intuitive and quick to use.

 

The Audi A8 is introduced  in the Middle East market with a V6 turbo engine. This 3.0-liter turbocharged direct injection gasoline engine produces 340 hp and develops 500 Nm of torque. It propels the A8 with its standard-fit quattro drive from zero to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds (the A8 L takes 5.7 seconds) and on up to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. Its NEDC fuel consumption is just 7.7 to 8.00 liters per 100 kilometers. This corresponds to CO2 emissions of 182 to 175 grams per kilometer for both body variants.

 

The engine uses a belt alternator starter, which lies at the heart of the 48-volt main electrical system. This mild-hybrid technology enables coasting with the engine switched off and a smooth restart. It also has an extended start/stop function and a high recuperation output of up to 12 kW thanks to energy recovered during braking. The combined effect of these measures is to bring down the fuel consumption of the efficient engine even further – by as much as 0.7 liters per 100 kilometers in real driving conditions.

 

The A8 is the first production model to feature the brand’s new type designation clearly at the rear. The reference value for the double-digit number combination is the power output of the individual model in kilowatts. The numeral combinations increase in increments comprising five designations each, and they represent the hierarchy within both the respective model ranges and the brand’s overall model portfolio. Thus the numeral combination “50” will in future appear on the back of those models which deliver between 210 and 230 kW of power; “55” stands for the power output range between 245 and 275 kW. This new system will allow Audi to standardize the type designations for its worldwide range of automobiles.

 

The new Audi A8 will be produced at the Neckarsulm plant in purpose-built production facilities.

 

The first Audi A8s will arrive at Audi Dealerships in the Middle East region at end of April 2018.