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443 – Audi’s new A8 a techno-fest

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12 May 2010

The new Audi A8

Audi’s new A8 luxury car: unadventurous styling makes it look like an enlarged A4

Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog

THE new Audi A8: not the advanced-looking luxo-barge you might expect from Audi. I’ve seen it described as ‘an enlarged Audi A4’. I’d go along with that. It’s not progressive in the same way as the original A8 design.

I guess, though, for many of the buyers – including those small businesses such as chauffeur firms – a bit of anonymity goes down well.

That’s certainly the experience of James Allitt, the product manager for the Audi A8. “I was helping a business owner recently to spec up an A8 – the previous generation model – even though he owns a Rolls-Royce Phantom. He explained that he couldn’t drive to work in the Rolls-Royce, especially at a time when the company might have to make staff cuts. The A8 gave him all the benefits and quality of the Rolls-Royce but without the ostentation.”

In other words, for this successful business owner it was the perfect business car.

Mind you, at this level there are plenty of other choices for the successful business owner. Audi has its own luxury SUV Q7 model for instance. There’s the new four-door Porsche Panamera. But according to Audi boss Jeremy Hicks, producing a luxury car in this sector defines the brand as premium. “There are only four European premium brands,” explainded Audi boss Jeremy Hicks at the press conference. “Three of them are German – Audi, BMW and Mercedes – and one is from the UK: Jaguar.”

So the Audi A8 is a marker, a confirmation of premium existence. But, as Jeremy explained later, it has another role to play. “Cars like the new Audi A8 help us to introduce new state of the art technology which then finds its way to other vehicles within the Audi range.”

And he’s not wrong about that. This car is stuffed full of tech. Everywhere you look, there’s something in the cabin designed to improve the experience through technology. There’s a touch pad on the Multi Media Interface – the control for the sat-nav, in-car entertainment and so on. It can recognise your writing. You want to go to Hampton, the Business Car Manager HQ? Write H with your finger and the sat-nav finds it on the map.

There’s even anticipatory navigation – the car, linked to the sat-nav – can make more intelligent gear changes to improve fuel consumption. For example, if it ‘knows’ you are approaching a corner it will alter its shift pattern. Crikey, there’s even a massage function on the front seats! You can choose from five separate styles of massage. Amazing. (And relaxing).

Back to James, though. Audi expects to sell fewer of the Audi A8 luxury car, mainly going to chauffeurs now, whom I’m sure will love it as an S-Class alternative. “You need to compete in this sector,” James explained, “even if the volumes are low,” before going onto reiterate the importance of the Audi A8 as the introducer of new technology.

That, then, is the nub of the A8: a techno-halo car. Some technology – even if the styling isn’t as advanced.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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