Audi A8 L: Lightweight, truly heavyweight

MAGIC MOVES:The A8 L has undergone the largest update in its history. The rear of the A8 L has been completely redesigned.

German luxury car manufacturer Audi has introduced its flagship model, the new Audi A8 L, which has been exhaustively updated and offers superior design, hand-built quality, lightweight construction and an abundance of high-end technologies, according to the company.

The A8 L will be priced at Rs 11,551,000 ex-showroom Bangalore. 

"Audi India was the first luxury car manufacturer in India to cross the 10,000 sales mark in not just the calendar year, but also the financial year. This double achievement of selling more than 10,000 units in a single financial year and in a calendar year validates the strength and stature that the brand has achieved in India,” said Joe King, Head, Audi India. 

He said that 2014 shall continue to be a landmark year for Audi in India in terms of initiatives on the product and network fronts. 

“With the launch of the Audi A8 L, I am confident that we will further consolidate our leadership position in the market,” King said.

The A8 L offers luxury connoisseurs in India excellent comfort, superb craftsmanship, strict lightweight construction and a broad portfolio of high-end technologies which truly reflect brand's philosophy of Vorsprung durch Technik.

Audi claims that customisation options for the A8 L are close to “infinite”. More than 100 exterior colours, 27 customizable parts, 23 interior leather colours and 12 wooden inlays. Customers can also opt for personalised headrest logos, door sill trims and exclusive folding tables. 

The A8 L is the first and only car in its segment with innovative matrix LED headlights delivering close to 1 billion illumination configurations, Audi said.

A direct evolution of Audi's 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 a phenomenal 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. 

Equipped with a fast and smooth-shifting, eight-speed tiptronic, the Audi A8 L owes its sporty character in large part to the sophisticated chassis. The Quattro and Audi drive select system is standard. 

The Audi A8 L has one TFSI gasoline engine and two TDI units. These are the V8 biturbo 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). The engine packs maximum torque of 850 at rpm of 2000-2750. “It is the most powerful diesel car in India,” King said.

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 per cent. 

Audi Vice-President (Operations) Gajanan Hegdekatte said, "At Audi, the core philosophy behind the launch of every new vehicle is anticipating what our customers need and blending it with best-in-class technology and design engineering. Elegant design, sumptous quality, advanced light weight construction and an abundance of high-end gadgets exemplify the A8 L.”

Hegdekatte said the company is targeting sales of ten units of the A8 L this year. “Looking at the response from customers, we are confident that we will easily reach our target.”

The A8 L has undergone the largest update in its history. The engine hood, the single-frame grille and the front bumper are even more sculptured, while the straight lower edges on the headlights give its face a more eye-catching look. 

The rear of the A8 L has been completely redesigned and is now more homogeneous than ever before. 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. 

XJ Jaguar, BMW 7 series and Mercedes S class are the competitor cars for Audi A8 L. We are proud to announce Audi A8 L is the best available luxury car in the segment. 

In the interior of the Audi flagship, the elegant lines and generous spaciousness stand out. Every detail demonstrates the hand-built character of the A8 L. 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. 

The A8 L is 5.14 meters long, has a wheelbase of 3.12 metres, is 1.95 metres wide, andstands 1.46 metres high. An outstanding strength of the sedan is its lightweight construction. The A8 L 3.0 TDI Quattro has a curb weight of just 1,935 kg — the lowest among the competitors with all-wheel drive. An Audi Space Frame (ASF) made almost entirely of aluminium, it weighs just 231 kg. 

"The A8 L makes Audi one of the prominent innovation leaders in the worldwide luxury car segment. The car exemplifies true luxury driving experience with its opulence and sophistication quotient," added King. 

Audi began 2014 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. Audi also 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. 

The Audi model range in India includes the Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A7 Sportback, the new Audi A8 L, Audi Q3 S, Audi Q3, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi S4, Audi S6, Audi RS 5 Coupe, Audi RS 7 Sportback, Audi TT Coupe, the super sports car Audi R8, Audi R8 Spyder and the Audi R8 V10 Plus available across the country:in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi Central, Delhi South, Delhi West, Goa, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Karnal, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai South, Mumbai West, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Raipur, Surat, Udaipur, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam.