Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, has introduced the top version of its flagship model – the new Audi A8 L W12 quattro. Equipped with a powerful 6.3 FSI petrol engine, the newest variant of Audi’s flagship sets new standards of luxury, dynamism and efficiency, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds to effortlessly reach its governed top speed of 250 km/h. The new Audi A8 L W12 will be priced at INR 12,656,000(ex showroom Maharashtra).
“The new A8 L W12 with its supremely powerful presence and design clearly derived from the brand’s genes is a concentrated high-tech package that confirms the Audi claim to technical leadership – “Vorsprung durch Technik”.
The addition of this powerful engine to the Audi A8 L range in India will further consolidate our position in the limousine segment. Having already recorded exceptional growth in 2011, I am confident that all new Audi A8 L W12 will raise the bar and set new standards for luxury and engineering performance in India”, said Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India.
“In January this year, a select few experienced the W12 for the first time during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Globally, the Audi A8 L W12 has received an overwhelming response and the first batch of 20 W12 for India is nearly sold out.” he added.
Subtle visual details distinguish the new A8 L W12 quattro from the other cars in this model line. The single-frame radiator grille with integral grid structure has a high – gloss black paint finish and special chromed horizontal bars. There are also chromed inserts of new design in the air inlets, and chromed applications on the exterior mirrors. W12 badges are displayed on the single-frame grille and at the rear of the car. The exhaust system has two trapezoidal-pattern tailpipe trims neatly integrated into the rear bumper.
Among the high-end technologies featured on the A8 L W12 quattro are the standard LED headlight units with all lighting functions performed by LEDs. The A8 L has a body built from aluminum using the Audi Space Frame (ASF) principle and therefore weighing about 40 percent less than a comparable steel body. The tremendous rigidity of this body is the key to the car’s precise handling, low interior noise levels and high passive safety for the occupants in the event of an accident.
The Audi A8 L W12 quattro: Splendor and efficiency
Twelve cylinders are the ultimate engine configuration, a tradition that still applies in the large luxury car class. The 6.3 FSI engine has an output of 368 kW (500 hp) and delivers its peak torque of 625 Nm at 3,250 rpm. This gives the Audi A8 L W12 quattro the kind of performance normally expected of a sports car. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4.7 seconds and effortlessly reaches its governed top speed of 250 km/h.
The engine is known as the W12 because of its unusual layout: it has four rows of three cylinders with a 15-degree included angle between the two offset rows of cylinders in each broad cylinder block. The V angle between the two blocks is 72 degrees. This layout makes the W12 engine exceptionally compact: only just over 50 centimeters long and therefore distinctly shorter than a V8. The W12, in its latest form with a displacement of 6,299 cc, is an undersquare design and the engine weighs 247 kilograms only.
Abundant space: Rear-seat area
The full extra length of this sedan benefits rear-seat passengers. The back doors are longer, for even more convenient entry, and the space available inside can only be described as opulent. Rear passenger comfort can be enhanced even more with rear seat executive package (optional). These can be heated, ventilated and adjusted in a variety of ways. There is also a fully adjustable lumbar support. The front passenger’s seat can also be moved from the rear if extra space is needed.
Between the individual rear seats, that is standard equipment in the Audi A8 L W12
quattro, a full-length console can be ordered (optional); it extends back from the center tunnel to the rear shelf, and can be specified with integral items such as a folding table or a refrigerator. Separate controls for the rear air conditioning are also standard. The luxury four-zone automatic air conditioning is controlled by no fewer than 25 adjusting motors.
Another high-end feature of the long-wheelbase Audi A8 is the reclining seat behind the front passenger’s seat with massage functions and a foot rest on a power-adjustable support at the base of the front passenger seat back. Heating, ventilation and the luxury head restraint are integral features. A folding table, additional wood and leather trim, a refrigerator and a Rear Seat Entertainment system with two 10.2-inch screens are among the features that promote relaxed travel or alternatively concentrated work in this mobile lounge.
Fine materials: Interior design
The quality of workmanship in the A8 L is simply first-class – from the restrained ambient lighting through the accurately fitted switches with their precise click action. Fascinating aspects of the car’s interior are the slim, clear outlines and the stylish materials with their modern look. Another optional extra, the panoramic sun roof, has two glass panels that allow plenty of light to reach the car’s interior.
Safe and sporty: Transmission
The transmission makes a major contribution to ensuring the high efficiency of the Audi A8 L W12 quattro. The eight-speed tiptronic shifts smoothly and quickly, with the individual gears closely spaced but with a generous overall spread from low to high. Gear shifts are performed electronically (“shift by wire”) from an elegant yacht-style selector lever or at steering wheel paddles.
The center differential, the main component in the quattro permanent all-wheel drive train, divides the torque flow from the engine in a sporty manner, with 60 percent to the rear axle and 40 percent to the front in regular driving conditions. But if the situation changes, up to 60 percent of the torque can be sent to the front, or 80 percent to the rear. The A8 L W12 quattro runs on 19-inch alloy wheels with a 15-spoke design reserved for this model, with size 255/45 tires.
Dynamic intelligence: Communication and assistance systems
This large sedan features an exemplary control concept. Despite the wide selection of functions available, they can be selected in an easily understood, ergonomically correct way. Two large monitor screens, one on the instrument panel and one on the center console, act as control centers and display their information as high resolution 3D graphics.
The standard Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System has an output rating of more than 1,400 Watts and 19 speakers. A Rear Seat Entertainment system with an MMI control panel on the console between the rear seats, provides access to all the infotainment functions on board.
The A8 L has a pioneering innovation on board: the optional MMI plus, which operates with the aid of a high-capacity hard disk, has a touch-sensitive control panel known as MMI touch. The driver inputs a telephone number simply by writing the letters or numerals on the pad with a finger. Acoustic feedback makes this possible without taking one’s eyes off the road.
The night vision assistant uses a thermal imaging camera to identify persons on the road ahead. If it considers the situation to be potentially dangerous, the image of the person on the road is shown in red and a warning signal is heard.
“We have adopted an aggressive growth and product strategy this year with the launch of a series of class-defining models, beginning with the Audi A8 L, the super sports cars, Audi R8 V10 and Audi R8 Spyder, the design marvel, Audi A7 Sportback and the high performance Coupé, Audi RS5. We continue to be the market leader in the luxury SUV segment in India with Q5 and Q7 and in the super sports car segment with iconic R8.
Globally too, Audi continued to maintain its No.1 position in Europe and China and is the fastest growing luxury car brand in USA and India. While China has overtaken Germany as the single biggest market for AUDI, we are also deploying some proven strategies from China to the Indian market, such as our product offensive, qualitative network growth and strong brand building process”, added Michael Perschke.
Audi India recorded an impressive 100 percent growth from Jan – June 2011 with a sale of 2802 cars (1400 cars: Jan – June 2010). In June 2011, the company sold 408 cars – a growth of 75 percent over the same period last year (233 cars: June 2010).
The Audi model range in India includes Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi A7 Sportback, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi RS5, the super sports cars Audi R8, Audi R8 Spyder available across the country in: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai West and Pune. Further developments include Coimbatore, Delhi West, Indore, Lucknow, Mumbai South and Surat.
Source: II
