The best spy images so far of Audi’s new A8 show not only that the BMW 7-Series fighter is the final stages of its development, but that our recent rendering is very close to the final product.
The car lapping the Nürburgring has a flavor of the Prologue concept and it is refreshingly sharper than the one it replaces thanks to its 3-D hexagonal grille, slimmer headlights and completely redesigned, more muscular bodywork with a more shallow glasshouse and tapering rear end.
Audi pioneered the use of an all-aluminum spaceframe on the first-gen A8 in 1994. In its latest iteration, Ingolstadt’s engineers combine the ASF with the VW Group’s advanced MLB Evo platform for lower weight and crisper handling to take on its rivals from Munich and Stuttgart.
The new architecture also allows for improved interior space without increasing the overall dimensions and a redesign that does away with the old controls and introduces a large touch screen at the center console, the next-gen MMI infotainment system and voice and gesture controls, like the new 7-Series.
Audi’s flagship, codenamed D5, will come with two petrol engines (a 4.0-liter V8 and a 6.3-liter W12), three diesels (3.0 V6, 4.0 V8 and 5.0 V10) and a new hybrid that will replace the four-cylinder turbo with a 3.0-liter V6. Naturally, the standard automatic transmissions will be coupled to the brand’s signature quattro all-wheel drive system.
The 2018MY A8 will debut this year and sales will commence near its end or, more likely, early-to-mid 2017.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
