Don’t look for the all-new 2010 Audi A8 at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The redesigned luxury flagship sedan isn’t expected to make its official world debut until January at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
Last month, guests of Audi’s 100th anniversary celebration were treated to their first look at the 2010 Audi A5 Sportback, but the 2010 Audi A8 did not make an appearance.
Although future A8 test mules have been spotted on German roads for some time, they were cloaked in current A8 bodies, so it’s been difficult to predict the level of style changes for the new aluminum sedan. IL has now learned that the big A8 will receive more evolutionary styling rather than a radical update. With the debut of the rakish Audi A7 concept already set for late 2009, the A8 will continue to play the part of a grown-up sedan, leaving the production A7 to challenge the Mercedes-Benz CLS while it remains a Mercedes S-Class competitor.
“Appetizer” sketch (World Premiere of the new Audi A8 in late autumn 2009)
Audi enthusiasts should expect to see a new range of engines and an eight-speed automatic transmission when the A8 hits showrooms next year.
Inside Line says: Even with a new BMW 7 Series and S-Class now on the road, CEOs should continue to hold calls to their car brokers until after the Detroit show.
Michael Dick – Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG with a next generation Audi A8 under a car cover (World Premiere of the new Audi A8 in late autumn 2009)
