First look: Audi's alloy attraction

AUDI has revealed the first pictures of its new generation A8 and declared it is pitching it at the sporting end of the luxury saloon market.

"Compelling handling, pioneering technology and exclusive design and equipment ensures that the new Audi A8 saloon redefines the notion of sports appeal in the luxury segment," the German company claims in a reasonably standard example of car industry press release overkill.

Going by the photos and limited data released along with the gallons of hyperbole, the A8 may not be as revolutionary as all that. The styling, for example, while lithe, low and quite striking, nevertheless appears evolutionary.

The car will be revealed to the public in the metal for the first time at the Paris motor show in September and we'll get our first chance to see it at the Sydney show just one month later, before it goes on sale here in March 2003.

Initially the A8 will be sold here in two V8 all-wheel drive variants - the 3.7-litre quattro and 4.2-litre quattro, expected to be priced either side of $200,000 and above and below the price of the only current A8 still offered here - the $205,570 A8L 4.2-litre long-wheelbase.

The sporty S8 - based on the short wheelbase A8 - will continue on for the moment with a date for its replacement yet to be confirmed by Audi Australia. The locals are also remaining mum on any news of a W12 6.0-litre version of the A8 mooted by the European press.

In fact the Australian distributor is in the dark a fair bit when it comes to the new A8. It's still unsure about what will be standard equipment - although we can take it for granted it will be a lot - and whether we will get long or short wheelbase cars first up.

Whatever the spec, Audi Australia is still confident enough of this new model to forecast a doubling in annual sales, although to be fair that would mean only pushing up to around 50 cars per year. By comparison, the class leading Mercedes-Benz S-class hasn't dropped below 500 cars per annum since its launch in 1999 and the BMW 7 Series also does far better than that.

The A8 faces a tough road in Australia. An updated S-Class is due soon, along with an all-new Jaguar XJ, while the 7 will still be fresh when the Audi arrives. In 2004 an in-house rival in the shape of Volkswagen's Phaeton is launched in Australia just to muddy the waters.

So what's the new A8 got that spurs Audi Australia's cautious enthusiasm?Like its predecessor it's built in aluminium around a spaceframe chassis, which means weight can be kept under control while cramming the car full of luxury features. Second time round Audi is claiming a 60 per cent increase in body rigidity as well.

There's also alloy running gear with a four-link front-end and trapezoidal-link rear combined with adaptive air suspension that includes continuously variable damper settings. The driver can choose from three predefined suspension settings which range from comfy to sporting.

If that's not tough enough for you there's also optional sports air suspension with three modes to further hone ride/handling performance. Both systems also have a lift mode to help maintain serene progress over uneven terrain.

The engines are updated versions of known quantities, the 3.7 producing 206kW at 6500rpm and 360Nm of torque at 3750rpm with an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h and a 0-100km/h-dash time of 7.3 seconds. The 4.2 delivers 246kW at 6500rpm and 430NM at 3500rpm with the same top speed as the 3.7 but a one-second quicker dash time.

The powerplants hook up to quattro via a new six-speed tiptronic gearbox with optional steering wheel-mounted gearshift paddles. There's also new high-performance brake system with an electromechanical parking brake.

Inside there's a new control system for the driver called Multi Media Interface (MMI) which was previewed in the Avantissimo show car last year. In an obvious pot shot at the new 7 Series' controversial iDrive technology, Audi says MMI's "ingenious ergonomics and an intrinsically logical and therefore self-evident operating concept make this car uniquely easy to operate".

Other new features include active head restraints added to the already comprehensive passive safety equipment level, a new light technology called Adaptive Light, adaptive cruise control and radar-assisted distance control, key access and authorisation system, and one-touch memory system.

There's no mention of more standard luxuries like sat-nav, leather upholstery, killer audio system and a sunroof, but you can take it for granted they'll be standard.