All-Electric Audi A8 Replacement Coming in 2024 Will Be the Most Powerful Audi Ever
Based on the Grandsphere concept car the next generation Audi A8 will not only be powerful but also have exceptional range.
If the recent report by Autocar is accurate the Audi A8 replacement is going to be a radical departure from the car on sale today. It will be based on the Grandsphere concept car that debuted in 2021. So, it will certainly look futuristic if it is anything like the concept. But the next generation A8 goes far beyond advanced styling. It promises to be the most powerful Audi ever made. Not just the most powerful A8. The most powerful Audi full stop. More powerful than the RS e-tron GT. More powerful than the RS 6 Avant. But even more impressive is that it is expected to be one of the longest range EVs on the market. And when you do need to charge it up, it won’t take very long as it is equipped with 800V charging functionality.
While we are on the topic of not waiting very long, we should mention that the next generation Audi A8 is expected to go on sale in 2024. The future is almost here. The future seems bright and fast. The new A8 will be packing a 120kWh lithium-ion battery. It is expected to produce a whopping 711 horsepower and 708 pound-feet of torque. The current Audi S8 makes 563 horsepower from a twin-turbo V8. It hits 60 mph in a little over 3 seconds. The next generation EV A8 will likely be heavier than the S8. But with 25 percent more power, it is hard to image that it also won’t be significantly quicker. What else should we expect?
Platform
The next generation Audi A8 is going to use the largest version of the PPE platform developed by Porsche and Audi. That version of the platform is expected to debut on the Q6 e-tron next year. Of course, that vehicle is still expected to retain the somewhat boxy SUV shape. The same will not be true for the new A8. The A8 will have a slick, aerodynamic shape. That shape will help it achieve a range as much as 466 miles on a single charge. For comparison the rival Mercedes-Benz EQS has about 350 miles of range. This PPE platform can also accommodate rear-wheel steering which is also expected to be offered on the new A8.
Self-Driving
We still don’t have flying cars. We also don’t yet have fully autonomous cars. But the Grandsphere concept was developed with the capacity to support level-four autonomy. Level-four is considered high driving automation. That means the vehicles can operate in self-driving mode within a limited area. The new A8 will likely not be equipped for that out of the gate. But the A8 will be another step in that direction. “We don’t want to overload you with information, Audi user experience boss Sid Odedra told Autocar recently, suggesting the Sphere concepts’ shunning of physical controls and traditional screens in favor of sensor controls and holographic projections is not far from what will become reality. We’re not giving you less, actually,” Odedra said of Audi’s new minimalist interior treatment. “We’re giving you more. With less, we’re going to give you more of a digital experience with less physical architecture.”
Audi A8 History
The Audi A8 first went on sale in the U.S. in 1997. The car was powered by a V8 engine, and they were the most luxurious vehicles in the Audi portfolio. The second, third and fourth generations of the Audi A8 only got more luxurious. A V8 is still an option on the S8 model but the regular A8 can be had only with a V6. And now it seems that the next generation A8 is going to be a massive step forward and likely the biggest departure from any previous iteration. It will not offer a V6 or V8 but be an EV. However, the general principle will remain. The new A8 will be extremely powerful. It will be comfortable and luxurious. It will continue to be the flagship sedan in the Audi lineup. We can’t wait to learn more about this future model as the formal reveal draws closer.
Images: Audi
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