A8/S8 [Spyshots] 2018 Audi A8 Spy Pics & Info

[klier]

We don't use the 1 cent and 2 cent in Holland

And it didn't bother me at all, it was quite funny even

 

[SKY]

Notice how renders have been softening from amazing, to great, to "same car with fresher design elements":

If the latest AB render is close to the real deal, this looks to me like the current car changing a few things. Slimmer front and rear lights, a different side profile lines, ans that´s it.

What Audi should do with this car is try to get rid of the terrible looking FWD proportions, fix the ancient looking glass house present on every sedan they produce, add some character to the profile and some personality to the rear. And keep their fantastic interiors.

Here is see none of those things. Just a huge super man grille.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

A pity that intra-corporate political bickering leaves Audi using MLBEvo rather than MSB in its' larger A series automobiles.

 

[Busty]

The latest AB render is pretty close. Lately, there was a VAG luxury clinic in China involving both the D5 and the nextgen Phaeton .... always risky.

 

[SCOTT27]

If you read my post I clearly stated render so I was referring to that render.
And with @Busty reporting in saying that the render is closer to the actual A8 via a customer clinic then it confirms something a BMW designer mentioned recently at Geneva when we were looking at the prologue in relation to the front end of the car that it would need to be altered to meet EU Pedestrian legislation.

@ Klier.
The Basking Shark although big utilises a large jaw saw it sucks in fish and plankton unlike other Sharks that more or less have rows of serrated and razor sharp teeth. Especially this little one dubbed the " Cookie Cutter" Shark its one of the smaller species of Shark but can still give you a nasty bite.

 

[klier]

The latest AB render is pretty close. Lately, there was a VAG luxury clinic in China involving both the D5 and the nextgen Phaeton .... always risky.

I expect leaks with Chinese watermarks soon.

Tnx, Scott.

 

[MDM]

The profile line of the A8 should remain, it's a nice and distinctive characteristic.

Everything else needs a huge overhaul to give the car a high quality A8 feeling again. Egger and Sielaff failed on that with the D4.

 

[Giannis]

The profile line of the A8 should remain, it's a nice and distinctive characteristic.

Everything else needs a huge overhaul to give the car a high quality A8 feeling again. Egger and Sielaff failed on that with the D4.

The profile line is indeed quite distinctive.

The one thing that needs a major change is the front end. They need something that more classy and less "last minute job".

 

[Deleted member 1071]

The latest AB render is pretty close. Lately, there was a VAG luxury clinic in China involving both the D5 and the nextgen Phaeton .... always risky.

Interesting !

I would not be at all surprised if the Phaeton successor proves to be more successful in terms of sales than the present car. The situation reminds me of that of Audi when it endeavored to penetrate the luxury car market back in 1979 with its' C2 100-based 200/200T entry. It raised some eyebrows but never made a notable impact on the market. Its' C3 100-based successors + V8 were far more successful, albeit never being a serious threat to the M-B and BMW competitors. It was the first A8 in 1994 that finally firmly put Audi on the map in the luxury segment.

It will be very interesting to see how VAG has differentiated the D5 A8/S8 from the series II Phaeton. Journos are talking the "athleticism versus "wafting luxury" talk.

 

[SKY]

 

[klier]

I have an idea! Why don't they make a grille of the whole front? They can then put the headlights simply IN the grille.

 

[SKY]

My dear mother always says these new Audi grilles remind her to the sewer tapes you see on the street.

It´s really reachin the "stop it there" size.

 

[Busty]

@klier: some of 'them' are reading here so please make sure everybody understands your jokes as such
@SKY thankfully the grille does not feel this wide irl.

Btw to all hood shutline fetischists: this is the real deal because of safety regulations.

 

[SKY]

@Busty so are you saying this thing is the real deal?

I find it quite decent to be honest. The grille is huge, the rear not too Audi-ish, but I do not dislike it at all.

 

[Rainer271]

Next generation Audi S8 could have 580 HP and 800 Nm
New V6 diesel with 286 HP & 620 Nm planned
German media has disclosed some juicy details about the next generation Audi A8 (D5) which according to the latest gossip has been pushed back to late 2017 / early 2018.

Ingolstadt's flagship model will make the switch to a 48-volt electrical system and will come with a revised eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard quattro all-wheel drive system. According to Auto Bild, the next-gen A8 is going to receive a newly developed V6 turbodiesel engine delivering 286 HP (210 kW) and 620 Nm (458 lb-ft) of torque. This motor will probably serve as a replacement for the current 3.0 TDI which delivers 258 HP (190 kW) and 580 Nm (428 lb-ft).

Audi's engineers are also making some revisions to the W12 which is expected go down in displacement from 6.3 to 6.0 liters and develop 585 HP (430 kW) and 800 Nm, making it 85 HP & 175 Nm more powerful than the existing version. As for the S8 model, this will continue with the same twin-turbo V8 4.0-liter but output will be bumped from 520 HP (382 kW) and 650 Nm to 580 HP (472 kW) and 800 Nm (591 lb-ft). There's also going to be a plug-in hybrid version mixing a V6 turbocharged gasoline engine with an electric motor and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The report also mentions Audi will bring a concept later this month at Auto Shanghai 2015 which could serve as a sneak preview for an A9 four-door coupe coming out before the end of the decade.

Source: autobild.de

 

[Busty]

^As far as I know there is a luxury allroad concept coming to Shanghai.

 

[SCOTT27]

^As far as I know there is a luxury allroad concept coming to Shanghai.

The Prologue Avant but in AllRoad specification?
I thought it was the Q6 E-Tron?

 

[tristatez28lt1]

Autobild reports that the A8 is still on schedule for end of 2016 early 2017. Engine wise exactly what the article above describes. The intelligent drive will learn every drivers style, collect all information (traffic jams, efficiency, acceleration, etc.) and send them to the cloud. This will give drivers an immense amount of information and be incorporated in every aspect of the driving experience.

 

[Rainer271]

I like the latest AutoBild renders.

 

[Busty]

@SCOTT27: I also thought it would be the Q6 but lately, it sounded more like a Prologue derivate was coming. I assumed they didn't want to share attention with similar high-profile concepts too much.

Based on what still needs to be done, I do not think the D5 will be ready by 2016. The AutoBild renders are close to the clinic model (which did not have an interior yet) with the interconnected rear lights, for instance. Overall, the render still looks a little too Prologue (i.e. too big wheels, too broad, too flat, especially the greenhouse).