The new Audi A8 is the future of luxury
Today is the day the future of the luxury car class begins - the day the new Audi A8 (http://www.audimanual.ru/en/A8) celebrates its world premiere at the Audi Summit in Barcelona. In its fourth generation, the brand's flagship again embodies the ideal of the company's motto "Progress through technology" (Vorsprung durch Technik) with a new stylistic language, an innovative control concept for touch screen functions and a systematic drive electrification. The Audi A8 is also the world's first production car designed for highly automated driving. From 2018, Audi will gradually introduce individual functions for piloted driving, such as parking and parking, as well as traffic and congestion control, into series production.
From a stylistic point of view, the Audi A8 is the definition of the new - the flagship heralds the beginning of a new era in the design of the entire brand. The wide, proud single-frame front end and sleek, muscular body shapes symbolize sporty elegance, refinement and a progressive spirit. The new A8 delivers on the promise made by concept design studio Audi prologue. The luxury sedan impresses both in the standard version with an overall length of 5.17 meters and in the A8 L variant with a wheelbase extended by 13 centimeters.
The Audi brand (http://www.audimanual.ru/en) is world-famous for its sporty spirit, lightweight construction and unchanged quattro dual transmission - qualities that are fully reflected in the design of the new A8. Perfectly balanced proportions emphasize each of the wheels equally, while the muscular shapes above the fender arches, in turn, give visual expression to the quattro drive. Seen from the side, the combination of a straight front and slightly sloping back creates a visible tension. The flagship model clearly shows its personality day and night, drawing attention both to the impressive HD Matrix LED headlights with Audi laser technology and the rear LED strip combined with OLED taillights. These elements display the unique light animation of the moments.
In the new luxury trends, freedom is a key stylistic element. This fully explains the similarity of the interior of the A8 with a luxurious spacious interior. Compared to the previous model, it has increased significantly in length in both body versions. The range of equipment and materials for upholstery and upholstery is extremely rich and varied, and the execution of every detail exudes excellent quality - from the perforations in the upholstery of the seats to the electric mechanism for opening and closing the seat slats. ventilation grates.
The most prestigious seat in Audi's new flagship model is undoubtedly the seat on the right in the second row, while the optional lounge seat in the A8 L version has four different adjustment options as well as a footrest. With this seat, the passenger can use the heating and foot massage functions of a special module with various types of settings built into the rear of the passenger seat next to the driver. A new comfortable headrest completes the exceptional feeling of comfort and relaxation. Second-row passengers can also individually control a range of features, such as indirect interior lighting, new HD Matrix reading lights and seat massage, and make personal phone calls from a separate handset.
The interior of the luxury sedan consciously adheres to an optimally simplified design - the interior architecture is clean and follows a strictly horizontal layout and orientation. Audi is also taking its high quality standards into the digital age with a radical new concept of function control. It leaves behind the popular roll-and-tap controls and the touchpad used in the previous model. There are virtually no buttons or switches on the dashboard, and the centerpiece is a 10.1-inch touchscreen that, when turned off, almost completely merges into the glossy black panel around it thanks to an all-black surface.
The user interface is activated as soon as the car is opened. The driver controls the infotainment system by simply touching the touch screen. Some functions are controlled by a second touch screen located at the bottom of the center console, providing access to air conditioning controls and comfort settings. Text can also be conveniently entered from this screen. When the driver activates the function on the upper or lower screen, he hears and feels a distinctive click in confirmation. The glass-like function buttons on the dashboard respond in the same way. The combination of audible and tactile feedback, as well as the use of the same characteristic gestures to control touch elements such as tap and slide, make the new MMI touch concept extremely reliable.
The A8 is also fully capable of engaging in intelligent communication. The driver can activate many vehicle functions with a new, much more natural form of voice control. Travel destination information and a variety of multimedia content are either available on board the new A8 or can be delivered via a cloud service at the speed of an LTE mobile connection. Audi connect's wide range also includes traffic sign recognition and danger alert, innovative services that use the "car-X" communication principle and rely on the collective intelligence of the "swarm" of Audi vehicles on the road. .
The fully optimized navigation system provides even more new features and conveniences - it is able to self-learn based on the routes just traveled. Thus, it can give reasonable suggestions to the driver during the search process. On the navigation map, in turn, there are very detailed three-dimensional models of major European cities.
The new A8 is the first production vehicle designed specifically for highly automated steering. The Audi AI Pilot system for heavy traffic and congestion takes control in slow traffic at speeds up to 60 km/h on high-speed sections of roads and motorways where the two main traffic lanes are separated by a physical barrier. The system is activated by pressing the AI button on the center console.
The heavy traffic and congestion pilot system starts, accelerates, moves and stops completely independently, during which time the driver does not need to constantly monitor the car. It has the ability to release the steering wheel for an unlimited period of time and, depending on the requirements of the national legislation of the respective country, to focus on other activities provided by the car, such as watching TV on the dashboard screen. Once the system reaches the preset limits, it prompts the driver to regain control of the vehicle.
From a technological point of view, the pilot system for heavy traffic and congestion is revolutionary in nature. During pilot control, the driver assistance system (zFAS) central control module now creates a permanent virtual image of the environment by combining data from various sensors and adapting its actions to changes in this model. In addition to radar sensors, front cameras and ultrasonic sensors, Audi is the first car manufacturer to use a laser scanner. The presentation of the Audi AI pilot system for heavy traffic and congestion requires the clarification of the framework legal and regulatory conditions in each market, as well as the creation of national rules for the application and testing of the system. The high quality standards of the brand are equally applicable in the field of highly automated control. In addition, there should be a set of approval procedures around the world, as well as corresponding timetables for their implementation. For these reasons, Audi will take the approach of gradually introducing a pilot system for vehicles with heavy traffic and congestion.
The Audi AI parking remote control and the Audi AI pilot remote control control the A8 fully autonomously when entering or exiting a car park or garage, maneuvering under the supervision of the driver. He does not have to be in the car - the corresponding system is activated by his smartphone through the new myAudi app. To watch parking maneuvers, all you have to do is hold down the Audi AI button and watch a 360-degree view from the on-board cameras in real time on your smartphone screen.
With an impressive range of innovations, the suspension system reaches the absolute ceiling of what is currently physically achievable. One of these innovations is dynamic four-wheel steering, which combines direct sporty handling with unwavering roadholding. The steering mechanism of the front axle changes with speed, while the wheels of the rear axle steer towards or against the front axle according to the speed range in which the vehicle is traveling. The behavior of the new road model is made even more dynamic and precise with a sports differential that actively distributes torque between the rear wheels, complementing the action of the quattro permanent dual transmission system,
The second new technology, Audi AI Active Suspension, is a fully active system. Depending on the desire of the driver and the traffic situation, he can raise or lower each of the wheels using electric drives. This flexibility influences the performance of the suspension with an incredible increase in its operating range - from the smooth comfortable movement of a classic luxury sedan to the dynamism of a racing sports car. In addition, based on the data provided by the system, pre-sense 360° preventive safety, the body can be lifted at lightning speed in the event of an imminent side impact danger, reducing the potential consequences of an accident for everyone in the car.
This extremely innovative suspension system draws the energy it needs to run from the on-board 48-volt electrical system. With the new A8, for the first time, Audi uses it as the main electrical system in all versions of the model. Combined with the state-of-the-art air suspension developed for the A8, this innovative concept creates a radically new driver and passenger experience for the new generation A8.
The new A8 will debut in the German market with two largely upgraded turbocharged V6 engines - 3.0 TDI and 3.0 TFSI. The diesel unit develops a maximum power of 210 kW (286 hp), while the petrol version reaches 250 kW (340 hp). Two eight-cylinder variants - the 4.0 TDI with 320 kW (435 hp) and the 4.0 TFSI with 338 kW (460 hp) will hit the market a bit later. The role of the exclusive top version will be performed by a model with a W12 engine with a displacement of 6.0 liters. (These vehicles are not yet on sale. They do not have type approval and are therefore not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC.)
The entire range of five engines work together with a belt-driven alternator starter (BAS), which is the heart and nerve center of the 48-volt electrical system. This "mild" hybrid technology (MHEV - Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle) allows the car to coast with the engine off and start it smoothly and imperceptibly to the driver and passengers. It also has advanced start/stop functions and the ability to regenerate excess energy up to 12kW. The combined effect of all these measures leads to a further reduction in fuel consumption of already extremely efficient power plants - by as much as 0.7 liters per 100 kilometers in real driving conditions.
The powerful plug-in hybrid version of the A8 L e-tron quattro will debut on the market at a later date. (This vehicle is not yet for sale. It does not have a type approval and is therefore not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC.). Its 3.0 TFSI and powerful electric motor deliver a maximum system power of 330 kW (449 hp) and a maximum hybrid system torque of 700 Nm. The lithium-ion battery stores enough energy to drive about 50 kilometers on all-electric power. It is also possible to charge the model wirelessly via the Audi Wireless Charging system, in which energy is inductively transferred from a charging pad installed on the garage floor to a 3.6 kW system in the vehicle.
The new Audi A8 and A8 L are produced at the brand's plant in the German city of Neckarsulm and will debut on the German market in late autumn 2017. The starting price for the new A8 is €90,600, while the A8 L starts at €94,100.
http://www.audimanual.ru/en/A8/D2 - repair manual for the first generation Audi A8 luxury limousine.
