Can the Next Audi A8 Best a Bentley?
The fourth-gen Audi A8 is already a supremely luxurious machine, but the automaker appears to be setting its sights even higher.
Aiming Higher
The current, fourth-gen Audi A8 sits atop the brand's lineup as a proper flagship. And it's more luxurious and feature-laden than ever. But according to a report from Digital Trends, it appears that Audi is going to aim even higher in the near future.
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Prestigious Derivative
On a recent call with investors, Audi CEO Bram Schot revealed that the automaker is working on a "particularly luxurious and prestigious derivative" of the A8. "We are thinking about revolutionizing the top-end class with a completely new concept for the A8," he went on to say.
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Ultra Plush
This idea is nothing new, of course. Mercedes already offers the S550 and S650 Maybach variants, which take the S-Class and make it about as plush as possible. Thus far, that formula has proven very successful for the brand.
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Pure Speculation
Schot stopped short of giving any further details about this next-level A8, so we're left to speculate what it might look like. But if Audi goes the Mercedes route, it'll likely have unique interior and exterior styling, along with a longer list of options than the base car.
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Pipe Dreams
There's also no telling what sort of engine would power this flagship. But Digital Trends goes all-out and guesses that Audi should raid the parts bin and go with the Bentley Bentayga's 6.0-liter W12, though that's likely a pipe dream.
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Direct Transplant
More likely, we'd see some form of V8 under the hood of this top-notch A8. Perhaps a direct transplant of the coming S8's powerplant, or something similar.
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Making Room
The goal here is to reach extra-affluent buyers, of course, and Mercedes/Maybach has been doing quite well in China. So it might seem somewhat cannibalistic to build an A8 that might rival a Bentley, but there's certainly room in that segment for more diverse offerings.
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Time Frame
As far as when we might see this ultimate A8 in actual showrooms, well, there's no telling. But since the brand just spilled the beans that it even exists, it might be the end of the year before we hear more about it.
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Taking Dollars
The Mercedes/Maybach S-Class models base out at $170,750 and $199,900, respectively, and Digital Trends expects the top-level A8 to cost about the same. That might seem like a big jump from the A8's $83k base price, but the base S-Class starts out at $91k.
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New Contender
As well as the Maybach models are doing across the globe, it makes a lot of sense for Audi to follow suit and build their own ultra-luxury flagship. And we're certainly looking forward to watching them make their move to unseat that Mercedes pair at the top of the market!
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