Frankfurt Motor Show: Audi A8 line-up to include 147g/km hybrid
The latest model uses an Audi Space frame body built almost entirely of aluminium, with subtle redesigns to the bonnet, grille, front bumper and headlights as well as the rear bumper and tail lights. New to this model are optional headlights employing MatrixBeam Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, which uses 25 LEDs that can be dimmed or switched off individually to suit the prevailing road situation.
Both the A8 and A8L offer a line-up of seven petrol and TDI engines, the majority of which have been revised to improve performance and efficiency. The supercharged 3.0 TFSI petrol engine is boosted from 290hp to 310hp, the V8 twin-turbo 4.0 TFSI moves from 420hp to 435hp, the 3.0 TDI clean diesel increases from 250hp to 258hp and the 4.2 TDI clean diesel gains 35hp, taking it to 385hp, with torque up by 50Nm to 850Nm.
The flagship engine for the A8 is the 493bhp W12 quattro, which offers combined fuel consumption of 11.7l/100km, and 270g/km with the help of a new version of the cylinder-on-demand system, which at low speeds deactivates the fuel injection and ignition for six cylinders.
There’s also the 520hp S8, which offers a 0-100 kph of 4.2 seconds along with 10.1l/100km, corresponding to 235g/km.
There’s also a hybrid combining a 2.0 TFSI engine and electric motor to produce a system output of 245hp and system torque of 480Nm. The lithium-ion battery in the rear enables purely electric driving at up to 100kph with a range of roughly 3km. The A8 hybrid returns up to 6.3l/100km and emits 147g/km.
Improvements have also been made to the optional assistance systems. Audi active lane assist, which makes slight steering adjustments when necessary, is new to the A8, as is the park assist system with 360° display, which handles steering when parking, and the head-up display, which projects important data in the driver's field of vision on the windscreen. The night vision assistant can now also recognise larger animals in addition to pedestrians.
The new Audi A8 goes on sale from the end of the year.
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