Audi A8 2015 News

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The 2015 Audi A8 sedan now boasts more powerful and efficient engines and a range of new assistance systems.Designers have tweaked the exterior styling, as the patterns in the lights are new and the grille and lower bumper are more sculpted. For the interior, Audi now offers more options including ventilation and massage functions on more models.What is new are some of the electronic assistance systems. These include lane assist, parking assist, a head-up display and a night vision assist that can recognise both animals and pedestrians. Watch the video here  

Audi's A8 flagship sedan has been refreshed for the 2015 model year and now boasts engines that are even more powerful and efficient, a bevy of new assistance systems and in certain markets innovative Matrix LED headlights with integrated sequential turn signals.The updates are crucial in light of the arrival of a brand new S-Class and a recently updated BMW 7-Series, and should keep the A8 fresh until a successor arrives around 2016.DESIGNDesigners have tweaked the exterior styling, though you'd have to be an Audi die-hard to spot the changes. The patterns in the lights are new and the grille and lower bumper more sculpted. At the rear, the lights have been made flatter and all models, except the S8, now have square-shaped exhaust tips.HIGH-TECH LIGHTSThe Matrix LED tech debuting on the 2015 A8 will allow drivers to leave the high-beam permanently on. The lights use an array of individually controlled LEDs that can automatically split a beam to block out sections that may blind other motorists.The sequential turn signal, meanwhile, uses individual LEDs that illuminate in a defined sequence in the direction that the driver wishes to take. But as yet, we've not been given confirmation that the high-tech feature will come to Australia.ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONSAs for the drivetrain lineup, the 3.0-litre V6 TFSI now boosted by 15kW to 228kW and 420Nm, while the 4.0-litre V-8 TFSI rates at 320kW (up 11kW) and 600Nm. Also unchanged is the output of the range-topping S8's 382kW/650Nm twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8.The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 also gets a boots of 6kW to hit 190kW and 550Nm, while the twin-turbocharged 4.2-litre V8 diesel is lifted 25kW and 50Nm to deliver 283kW and 850Nm. The current eight-speed automatic transmission continues as standard, with the S8 and 4.2-litre diesel quattro getting a sport differential.INTERIORFor the interior, Audi now offers more options including ventilation and massage functions on more models. Electrically adjustable, individual rear seats are also available as an option across the range. Otherwise, things inside haven't changed much. 2015 Audi A8 owners are still coddled in the finest leather and wood trim, and they still have access to all of the car’s various electronic features via the MMI navigation plus interface.TECHNOLOGYWhat is new are some of the electronic assistance systems. These include lane assist, parking assist, a head-up display and a night vision assist that can recognise both animals and pedestrians. Though it hasn’t been announced yet, expect the range to offer full 4G LTE high-speed broadband support. The 2015 Audi A8 range makes its official world debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show on September 10 and should land in Australian showrooms mid next year.www.motorauthority.com 

The flagship is still some way in the future, perhaps in 2015, but Carparazzi has caught a prototype that reveals subtle tweaks to the lights, grille and bumpers, with improvements too in the cabin including new infotainment technologies.

The updated Audi flagship is expected to arrive on the market early next year as a 2015 model, and most of its upgrades will focus on new technology. As these spy shots of the final testing prototype reveal, the updates to the car’s styling will be minimal. In true Audi tradition the visual changes consist of subtle tweaks to the lights, grille and bumpers. We’re not complaining, since the current A8, particularly in its sporty S8 guise, is one the most elegant luxury sedans on the market. The  2015 A8 will feature Audi’s latest Matrix LED headlight technology. This will allow drivers to leave the high-beam permanently on as the Matrix LED headlight, which uses an array of individually controlled LEDs, automatically splits the light beam to block out sections that may blind other motorists. The interior of the 2015 A8 facelift is likely to receive its own set of subtle updates, along with some new technologies including the latest version of Audi connect Internet services, a modular infotainment system and possibly a redesigned instrument cluster. It’s not clear if Audi will be planning significant updates to the powertrain lineup, although we’re still unlikely to see the A8 Hybrid anytime soon. The current 3.0-litre and 4.0-litre TFSI units should carry over largely unchanged, as should the range-topping 6.3-litre W12. A 184kW 3.0-litre TDI diesel was just added for the 2014 model year, so this unit will almost certainly carry over with the same spec. While the A8 will be facing some serious competition from a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class due out later this year, the changes should keep the car looking fresh until a completely redesigned model, possibly based on Porsche's MSB platform and with autonomous driving capability, launches a couple of years further down the track. www.motorauthority.com  

Audi built its first hybrid production car in 1996 - the Audi duo, driven by a TDI engine and an electric motor.  But it has taken until now for the German manufacturer to begin producing its follow-up hybrid. Audi group communications, product and technology manager Josef Schlossmacher says they will begin making the "first hybrid model of the present generation" in the next few months.  It will be the Q5 hybrid with a 157kW 2.0-litre TFSI engine and a 25kW electric motor. "Following, we will also bring into the market hybrid versions of our big sedans, A8 early in 2012 and a couple of months later the A6," he says.  "At Audi we are convinced that hybrid cars are an important step to the fully electrical drivetrain of the future." However, Australia may not see hybrid Audis for some time yet.  Audi Australia corporate communications manager Nadine Giusti says the Q5 hybrid will only be built in left-hand drive, "so we cannot bring the car here".