2008 AUDI A8: SPORTY LUXURY WITH EXEMPLARY DYNAMICS
The Audi A8 not only offers the sportiest performance of any luxury-class saloon. The new A8 model series features major advancements across the range, which includes the top models Audi A8 W12 and Audi S8, and offers a new driving feel whilst building on traditional strengths. An even more precise driving feel, even better ride and acoustic comfort, and subtle refinements to the exterior and interior serve to strengthen the special status of Audi's flagship model. Únique character – consistently enhanced To achieve this, many aspects have been refined in the unique blend of sportiness, elegance, supreme control and sophistication that forms the Audi A8 character. For instance, the more direct steering and re-engineered running gear have produced even more exact handling. Overall travelling comfort has also been enhanced by the modified adaptive air suspension and extensive improvements to noise insulation. These make the Audi A8 one of the world's quietest and most comfortable saloon cars. The new assistance systems Audi lane assist and Audi side assist promise to make life easier for the driver and considerably enhance safety, especially on long journeys. Their tasks are to alert the driver if the car begins to drift out of its lane and to warn of vehicles in the adjacent lane.Consistently enhanced
The A8 impressively embodies the progressiveness of the Audi brand: its extremely rigid lightweight body based on the Audi Space Frame principle, the powerful FSI and 12-cylinder engines, quattro permanent four-wheel drive and the highly acclaimed MMI operating system are a few of the elements that demonstrate Audi's impressive 'Vorsprung durch Technik' in the luxury class.
Gains in performance and handling are matched by those in ride comfort: the standard-specification adaptive air suspension is now even more sensitive in responding to fine bumps. The electronically controlled variable dampers are now fitted with new seals to reduce friction. These are combined with new valves that have optimised characteristic curves, and the entire hydraulics have also been retuned. The A8 absorbs expansion joint grooves with supple ease and without even the hint of a vibration. With the addition of an insulation package to reduce rolling noise and road noise, the luxury saloon from Audi offers outstanding comfort. Exemplary soundproofing
Even the complete acoustics of the A8 have been optimised with the use of innovative materials – after all, Audi approaches noise insulation as a component of its intelligent lightweight construction. The result: without gaining weight, the Audi A8 achieves the lowest rolling, road and ambient noise levels in its class. Being one of the quietest cars in the world is an important element of the relaxing long-distance comfort that is a hallmark of the Audi A8. Assistance systems bring comfort and safety Drivers of the Audi A8 can rely on the support of the most up-to-date assistance systems. They serve to enhance comfort and combat driver fatigue on long journeys, thus making an important contribution to safety. The new Audi side assist in the A8 makes use of intelligent radar technology. The system is especially designed for lane-changing manoeuvres and warns the driver of dangerous situations: whenever there is another vehicle in the critical zone, a yellow LED display in the exterior mirror housing lights up and remains on. If the driver of the A8 activates the indicator to change lane even though the warning display is lit up, the LEDs become brighter and flash more quickly at shorter intervals. This signal is almost impossible to miss as the peripheral vision of the human eye is extremely sensitive to changes in contrast. Audi lane assist warns the driver to prevent an unintentional departure from the lane. A small camera positioned above the interior mirror on the windscreen observes the road ahead of the car and a high-speed computer detects the lane marking lines. If the driver moves towards one of these lines without indicating, Audi lane assist makes the driver aware of this by a vibration in the steering wheel.Still a step ahead in the luxury class
The clear and progressive design idiom of the Audi A8 stands out for its timeless quality. The exterior design has thus only been accentuated at carefully chosen points – from the modified single-frame grille and new exterior mirrors with integrated turn signals to the new wheel designs and LED tail lights with their innovative night design. To complete the range, the A8 is available in new paint finishes and with sophisticated aluminium trim inserts plus new interior colour schemes and inlays.
THE 2008 AUDI A8 – THE NEW DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Audi is honing the character of its flagship: from September, the Audi A8 will exhibit notably enhanced qualities. An even more precise driving feel, superior ride and acoustic comfort and subtle refinements to the design and interior underline the exceptional position of the sportiest saloon in the luxury class. Impressive handling characteristics, pioneering technology and exclusive design and equipment – the Audi A8 defines the notion of sports appeal in the luxury segment in a distinctive, masterly way. As the flagship of the brand, the A8 embodies the progressiveness of Audi: its extremely rigid lightweight aluminum body built according to the Audi Space Frame principle, the potent FSI powerplants with direct injection, quattro permanent four-wheel drive and the highly praised MMI operating system are only some of the elements employed by Audi to demonstrate its proverbial Vorsprung durch Technik in the luxury class.A unique driving experience
The entire model range offers a new driving experience: To this end, the A8 has been consistently developed in many areas and refined in terms of its unique blend of sportiness and elegance, superiority and sophistication. The rack-and-pinion steering with variable steering gear ratios and servotronic speed-dependent power assistance has been optimized and is more direct. Shock absorbers, bearings and adaptive air suspension settings have been modified. As a result, the A8 responds more spontaneously to steering inputs, tackles winding country roads with precision yet maintains calm and supreme straight-line stability at high speeds.Exceptional comfort in terms of suspension and acoustics
Similarly to the handling characteristics, ride comfort has also been improved: the standard adaptive air suspension is now more responsive to minor irregularities in the road surface. The continuously variable shock absorbers feature new seals to reduce friction, new valves optimize the characteristics and the entire hydraulics system has been retuned. The A8 even moves smoothly over transverse joints, with no vibration whatsoever. Together with the package designed to insulate rolling and road noise, the luxury saloon from Audi offers outstanding comfort.
The Audi A8 supports the driver with state-of-the-art assistance systems. These provide comfort and convenience on long journeys, helping to keep the driver fit and alert – and are therefore decisively important for safety, too. Audi side assist utilizes intelligent radar technology. The system is specially designed for lane-changing maneuvers, alerting the driver to hazardous situations: if another vehicle moves into the critical zone, yellow LEDs in the housing of the exterior mirror light up permanently. If, despite the warning, the driver of the A8 sets the indicator lever to change lanes, the LEDs become brighter and flash rapidly for about one second. It is virtually impossible to overlook this impulse because the human eye is highly sensitive to changes in contrast in the peripheral field of vision.Audi lane assist alerts the driver if he/she inadvertently moves out of the lane. A small camera, located on the windscreen above the rear-view mirror, monitors the road in front of the vehicle; a high-performance computer identifies the lane markings. If the driver drifts on to one of these lines without indicating, Audi lane assist signalizes this accordingly by causing the steering wheel to vibrate.Progressive design language, with specific refinements
The clear and progressive design language of the Audi A8 is characterized by its timeless quality. New touches were added to the exterior, for instance, but only in specific yet effective areas – from the single-frame grille to new exterior mirrors with integrated indicator and new wheel designs through to new-look LED taillights. New paint finishes complete the range as do high-quality aluminum applications, new colors and inlays for the interior.Continuing on the road to success
Hence the Audi A8 is clearly on the road to success. With over 100,000 vehicles sold (worldwide) so far the current-generation model including both top-of-the-range versions, the Audi A8 W12 and Audi S8, has already surpassed the sales total of its predecessor.
Similar Automakers
Similarly Sized Vehicles
from 2008
Audi Monthly Sales Volume
March 2023
52,763
Recent Vehicle Additions
Performance and Specification Comparison
Price Comparison
$74,690 - $120,100
Related Automotive News
ID.3 and ID.4 receive wide range of changes as Model Year 2022 vehicles open for order
MY22 brings significant changes to ID.3 and ID.4 ordering process for a focus on flexibility and convenience to customers Pre-configured trim-level structure altered in favour of offering customers choice over option packs when o...
Volkswagen T-Cross: Orders Open For Practical Compact SUV
Tech-packed T-Cross compact SUV starts at £16,995 RRP OTR Generous standard equipment includes multiple safety systems Stylish S trim gets alloys, VW Connect, LED taillights1 and more...
ALFA ROMEO ANNOUNCES PRICING FOR ALL-NEW 2017 GIULIA LINEUP
Premium Mid-size Sedan Named Car of the Year by Top Gear Magazine Starts at %2437,995 MSRP %26 Record-Breaking 505-hp Quadrifoglio at %2472,000 MSRP
All-new Giulia lineup combines Italian craftsmanship, class-leading performance, state-of-the-ar...
2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS ADDS TO EXCEPTIONAL VALUE EQUATION WITH STANDARD PREMIUM LIGHTING APPEAL
Standard LED Daytime Running Lights and HID Headlights Elevate Premium Road Presence
Automatic Emergency Braking, Heads-up Display, Blind-Spot Detection, Cabin CO2 Sensor and Lane-Keep Assist Available as Suite of Active Safety Features
Genesis 5.0...
KIA MOTORS AMERICA ANNOUNCES PRICING OF ALL-NEW 2016 OPTIMA
Starting MSRP of %2421,8401 makes the all-new 2016 Optima midsize sedan a compelling offer All-new Optima remains a strong value in the midsize segment, combining more standard features with a low starting price
Optima matures into an expertly craf...