The current flagship Audi sedan has been produced since 2017 and in 2021 underwent a planned restyling. It was assumed that this year the premiere of a fundamentally new electric flagship model based on the Grandsphere concept would take place, but for a number of reasons it was postponed indefinitely, and the current “hydrocarbon” Audi A8 will continue its career — perhaps even another comprehensive update awaits it.< br/>
Ten years ago, when the current fourth-generation Audi A8 was being developed, the leaders of the global auto industry were euphoric about the prospects of full autopilot — it promised fabulous profits and a rejection of the usual forms of car ownership. Audi wanted to be one of the leaders in the coming driverless revolution and equipped the “fourth” A8 with expensive equipment for SAE level 3 autopilot operation — it was assumed that it could be activated by the Audi AI button on the center console. Alas, this autopilot never worked; during the restyling, the Audi AI button disappeared from the cabin, and its place was taken by the parking assistant activation key.
Current Audi A8
At the moment, the “fourth” Audi A8 is one of the oldest models in its class and is selling noticeably worse than its main competitors — the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series: in 2023, according to JATO Dynamics, these models sold 9,901 copies in Europe , 7234 units respectively, then the result of the Audi A8 is only 3857 units sold. Nevertheless, the decision to make a luxury version of Horch based on the Audi A8L for China turned out to be successful; this version regularly brings money into the treasury of the German automaker, despite the high prices (from 1,280,000 yuan or 16.1 million rubles in translation at the current exchange rate) — the G8 is not localized in China; all versions, including Horch, are assembled in Germany at the Audi plant in Neckarsulm.
Audi A8 L Horch for the Chinese market 1/3 
Audi A8 L Horch for the Chinese market 2/3 
Audi A8 L Horch for the Chinese market 3/3
According to the German magazine auto motor und sport, the Neckarsulm plant, where in addition to the A8 the A4, A5 Cabriolet, A6 and A7 models are assembled, is now less than half full, which is not good for Audi’s financial statements. Alas, there is nothing to replace the flagship model yet, since the development of new electric vehicle platforms has been delayed due to the crisis in the IT department of the parent concern Volkswagen. In addition, last year there was a clear trend in the global market towards a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles, while their manufacturers expected an avalanche-like growth. Many companies, including Mercedes-Benz, have already announced a sharp pessimization of their electric vehicle plans. So Audi, as reported by German colleagues citing sources within the company, is in no hurry to replace the aging fourth-generation A8.
Current Audi A8 1/2 
Current Audi A8 2/2
The electric successor to the Audi A8, if it appears, will not be earlier than 2027 , but even in this case it is not a fact that the fourth-generation “hydrocarbon” sedan will immediately retire — it has a good chance of surviving until the end of the current decade. Now Audi is considering the possibility of another comprehensive modernization of the current “eight”, that is, in the coming years it may again refresh the design and update individual components of the technical filling — it is even possible that the long-awaited, although rather meaningless due to its limitations, third-level autopilot will appear .
Свежие комментарии