In a league of its own. The new Audi A8L

Mr. Joe King, Head, Audi India with Hollywood Actor Nicolas Cage at the launch of New Audi A8L

Customized Luxury: An important USP of the new Audi A8L is the ‘Audi Exclusive’ which offers close to ‘infinite’ customization options, to personalize the new Audi A8L. In addition to 111 exterior colors, 23 leather colors, 27 customizable parts and 12 wooden inlays, customers can opt for personalized headrest logo, door sill trims and exclusive folding tables.

Innovative Matrix Headlamps: An important highlight of the new Audi A8L is the Matrix Headlamps, a first by any luxury car manufacturer. An evolution of their signature LED headlights, the high beam comprises of 25 small, individual light-emitting diodes per unit that can be switched on and off or dimmed individually as needed, delivering 966,105,422 different illumination configurations. This enables the headlight system to react to oncoming or preceding vehicles and blank out light with great precision while continuing to fully illuminate the rest of the road.

Mr. Joe King, Head, Audi India with Hollywood Actor Nicolas Cage at the launch of New Audi A8L

Design: The engine hood, the single-frame grille and the front bumper of the new Audi A8L are even more sculptured, while the straight lower edges on the headlights give its face an eye-catching look. The rear of the new Audi A8L has been completely redesigned and is now more homogeneous. A chrome brace has been integrated to the rear lights. Although the size of the tail end has not actually changed, its new design renders it much flatter and thus broader.

Driving Experience: The engine lineup has become more powerful and efficient to offer better performance and optimum efficiency. The new Audi A8L has one TFSI gasoline engine and two TDI units. These are the V8 bi turbo 4.0 TFSI with 320 kW (435 hp), the highly efficient 3.0 TDI with 180 kW (250 hp) and the 4.2 TDI with 283 kW (385 hp). Output of the 4.2 TDIq engine has been increased by 35 hp and of the 4.0 TFSIq by 15 hp. In the 3.0 TDIq, the torque is increased by 30 Nm while the fuel efficiency is increased by 20%. The 4.0 TFSI accelerates from 0 to 100 km/hr in 4.6 seconds. Equipped with a fast and smooth-shifting, eight-speed tiptronic, the Audi A8L owes its sporty character in large part to the sophisticated chassis. The quattro and Audi drive select system is standard.

Comfort: In the interior of the Audi flagship, the elegant lines and generous spaciousness stand out. Every detail demonstrates the hand-built character of the new Audi A8L. Audi offers a wide range of options, for the front seats, including ventilation and massage functions in five programs. Adaptive air suspension with Audi drive select is standard. There are many additional luxury features from which to choose- from the Rear Seat Executive package and Bang & Olufsen Surround Sound System to Park
Assist, Surround View Camera, panoramic-sunroof, air ioniser, head-up display, Audi Wireless Internet Access, among others.

Dimensions: The new Audi A8L is 5.14 meters long, has a wheelbase of 3.12 meters, is 1.95 meters wide, and 1.46 meters tall. An outstanding strength of the sedan is its lightweight construction. The Audi A8L 3.0 TDI quattro has a curb weight of just 1,935 kilograms – the lowest among the competitors with all-wheel drive. An Audi Space Frame (ASF) made almost entirely of aluminium, it weighs just 231 kgs.

Audi began the year with the introduction of the most powerful Audi model from its product range – Audi RS 7 Sportback. The company also opened new showrooms in Udaipur, Visakhapatnam and Nashik. They recently inaugurated the country’s largest pre-owned luxury car showroom, ‘Audi Approved: plus’ in Gurgaon and plans to expand its network to 40 dealerships by the end of 2014.