A8/S8 20 years Audi A8

[Rainer271]

Audi A8 Celebrates 20 Years in Production

Ever wondered why Audi has a hard time convincing the world it's a true luxury brand, the maker of cars that are equal to any Mercedes-Benz. Part of it has to do with the longevity of its cars. For instance, their flagship sedan, the A8, is just celebrating two decades in production.

Of course, the company had been building full-size sedan before that under the V8 badge, but the first generation A8 (codenamed 4D) was presented in February 1994 and went into full scale production at the Neckarsulm factory in June the same year.

Which means it's now been in production for exactly two decades. To put how young the A8 is into perspective, know that Dacia's Logan sedan just celebrated its 10th anniversary with a special edition. By comparison, the first car officially called an "S-Class" came out in 1972 and has heritage that can be traced back to 1954, 40 years before the Audi A8's debut.

Designed for the full-size luxury segment, the first A8 model was based on the Volkswagen Group D2 platform and built on the Audi Space Frame aluminum chassis. It wasn't until 1997 that the A8 received its first quattro all-wheel drive system.

Audi released the second generation in 2002 and the third (and current) one in late 2009. The Mk3 can easily be considered the most innovative model, built on the the MLB platform. In its second year of production, the current model received a long-wheelbase model to appeal to Chinese consumers and a hybrid concept was unveiled. A mid-life facelift introduced Matrix LED headlights, extra safety tech and updated engines.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/audi-a8-celebrates-20-years-in-production-83089.html

 

[mini_cooper4]

And 20 years later I'll finally own one.
The A8 is a great deal and is the "sportiest" in its class.
I know sportiness isn't that important in this class but the car is great for someone like me.
Can't wait

 

[Maady Fernandis]

I am going to add one to my collection soon. It is a real treat to drive off this real luxury symbol car.

 

[KiwiRob]

Designed for the full-size luxury segment, the first A8 model was based on the Volkswagen Group D2 platform and built on the Audi Space Frame aluminum chassis. It wasn't until 1997 that the A8 received its first quattro all-wheel drive system.

What is this, the A8 was launched with Quattro from the start, it was not three years into it's production cycle before Quattro was introduced. It might have been three years into the cycle when they launched the FWD version, I don't think that was available from launch, something to look up.

 

[Zafiro]

Best looking A8 (S8) ever!

 

[Rainer271]

Limited-run Audi A8 Edition 21 anniversary model launched in UK

Audi A8 Edition 21

Only 121 cars reserved for UK market
Audi is introducing a limited-run A8 Edition 21 model in UK to celebrate 21 years since the first generation was launched.

The original A8 came out back in 1994 and now Audi has decided to celebrate its flagship model by offering a special edition in both standard and long wheelbase guises packed with all the bells and whistles. It's based on the SE Executive trim and adds a more posh cabin pampered by Audi Exclusive with two color combinations available: cognac brown with black stitching or black leather with red stitching.

The list of equipment includes comfort front sports seats with 22-way adjustability and memory function as well as built-in pneumatic lumbar and side bolster support. There's also a black cloth headlining and a three-spoke steering wheel while the illuminated door sill plates come with the "Edition 21" logo.

All cars benefit from HDD-based sat-nav and a BOSE surround sound system together with the goodies you usually get with the SE Executive models such as a reversing camera and the electrically-operated trunk lid with hands free opening and powered door closure.

On the outside it wears a Sport Styling package which makes it look more like the S8 thanks to the redesigned front and rear bumpers and prominent side sills. It rides on 20-inch double-spoke alloys which have a titanium look and also comes with privacy glass and matrix LED headlights combined with full LED taillights that both have dynamic turn signals. There are four exterior body paints to choose from, including this Daytona grey pearl effect hue which up until now was only offered on the hotter S8.

Power of the Audi A8 Edition 21 is provided exclusively by a 3.0-liter TDI V6 engine developing 262 PS (193 kW) and a maximum torque of 580 Nm (428 lb-ft) channeled to a quattro AWD system through an 8-speed tiptronic gearbox. It enables the full-size luxury sedan to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.9 seconds (+0.2s for LWB model) before topping out at an electronically-capped 155 mph (250 km/h).

It's already available on order, with prices for the SWB version kicking off at £72,525 OTR whereas the LWB model costs £76,490 OTR. Audi says customer deliveries are programmed to start in November.

Source: Audi

 

[sanpt7777]

I like the A8 because it's always discrete, even in S8 form.
My favorite is for sure the D2 in green or silver.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

The 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show ASF Concept (which became the series I A8 the following year) really knocked me off of my feet. It remains a timelessly elegant automobile. Its' successor was also very impressive. The current D4 model has always left me "hot and cold", undecided to this very day-over 5 years following its' presentation. Audi designers dropped the ball on the D4, in my opinion. I am seriously hoping that Audi will manage to capture the magic of the series I and II cars when the D5 is presented.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

The 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show ASF Concept (which became the series I A8 the following year) really knocked me off of my feet. It remains a timelessly elegant automobile. Its' successor was also very impressive. The current D4 model has always left me "hot and cold", undecided to this very day-over 5 years following its' presentation. Audi designers dropped the ball on the D4, in my opinion. I am seriously hoping that Audi will manage to capture the magic of the series I and II cars when the D5 is presented.

When I was a 7 year old kid (giving away my age here) I was casted to partake in the ASF concept reveal at that IAA. I played the junior engineer haha. I think it shaped my future quite well.