Official: Next Audi A8 coming in 2010

It will be a very sad day for BMW when this comes out. Audi is already beating BMW in sales in Europe. BMW profits are down 90%. Audi has the wonderful R8, BMW has nothing. If this doesn't jump start sales for the A8, then nothing will. Maybe there is only room for 3 (LS/S-Class/7-Series) in the flagship class. The new A4 proves Audi can do it in Europe.

yeah yeah you running your mouth about BMW and you know what I heard that same talk from you audi fans with prior models and it seems to me BMW is still here. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm......if your basing your studies off of this cheap a$$ picture then you need to wait and see IF it will be better than all the others in its class....as for right now your talking out your A$$...DocMarten

Wow mate, no need to get so angry or feel threatened. Did someone piss in your cheerio's or fruit loops this morning? Are all BMW owners this insecure? Geezee...

its not just you DocMarten its all you audi fans say the same thing and its getting old at this point. so your the one taking it personal not me. but as i was saying you guys always put down BMW before the model even comes out but i guess thats how you guys think.

Jaguar's next XJ series will be the sexiest luxury of all time, should see a concept in a few weeks hopefully!

Why is everyone deboosting B7FAN, he's not talking crap about Audi. He's just saying wait till the car comes out and then talk.

LOL dbsvolante (the future predicter) already knows the new XJ Jag will be the sexiest luxury car. Can you tell me anything on the new styling of the next generation 6 series? will it have lambo doors??

I cannot wait, this is one of the cars I am waiting to see, the A8 is getting to be my favorite full sized sedan. I have been seeing quite a few over the last few months and they look better and better every time I see them. Not a lot of curves and creases, just simple understated luxury. The current S Class has been my favorite design for while but I think they should have done more with the refresh and it doesn't look as elegant to me as it used to.

the new S-class is a baby maybach....we will call it the maybach 43...thats all it is they took the maybach shape and threw it on the new sclass so what big deal. its is a nice looking car as is the maybach 57 and 62 so i do like the new s-class but again no originality to it there was too much taken from the maybach

You have got to be kidding when you say the current S class looks like a Maybach. They're incredibly different. Look closer.

really compare them side by side then come talk to me

The rears especially look the same, but I definitely do not think that it is a bad thing. They are both extremely handsome and luxurious-looking vehicles. Maybach = Mercedes, so I really do not see the harm.

Can't wait til this buries the 7 series!

yeah yeah thats what you audi fanatics said about the last A8 and I see they made yet ANOTHER 7 series. As long as BMW keeps making the ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE and have been proving in test results that they make the ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE then BMW has a extremly long way to go before 7 series is buried......lol....go ahead start deboosting the truth BMW HATERS......

B7Fanboy is obviously brainwashed...you have no valid points other than quoting bmw's slogan. That says a lot. Enjoy your Ultimate Fail Machine.

so BJS470....you really think the bmw 7 series is getting buried by this A8. ok the BMW 7 series existence started in 1977–present if you cant add thats 32 years the audi A8 has started in 1994–present if you still cant add thats 15 years which they were trying to compete in the big car market but the A8 always fell short of the 7 series each time in comparison tests. and the only company that probably has the most experience in this category is Mercedes because the S-Class started in 1954–present. so in closing the 7 series has been going 32 years strong its not even a thought in my head that BMW's flagship car will get buried by this audi A8........keep dreaming maybe that will come true for you as soon as i hit a 300million dollar lottery jackpot...lololo

Hey B7fan, this is just for you and your friend Whattedouche: Enjoy!

BMW results miss expectations, shares tumble

March 12, 2009 12:45 CET
BMW's headquarters in Munich, Germany
Photo credit: Reuters


FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- BMW AG, the world's largest premium carmaker, said today its earnings plunged in the fourth quarter, making its 2008 results miss market expectations and sending its shares down nearly 12 percent.

BMW said group earnings before interest and tax fell 78 percent to 921 million euros ($1.18 billion), well below the average estimate of 1.54 billion euros in a Reuters poll of 20 analysts.

BMW proposed cutting its 2008 dividend on common stock to 0.30 euros from 1.06 euros after taking a writedown of 1.06 billion euros for the reduced value of cars coming off leases and for bad debts.

Its shares pared losses to trade down 8.3 percent at 21.04 euros by 1028 GMT while the DJ Stoxx European car sector index was off 3 percent.

Demand for BMW's sporty models like the Z4 roadster withered in the last quarter of 2008, forcing the company to reveal a decline of 4.3 percent in group sales volumes last year -- its first annual drop since 1993.

Much like rival Mercedes-Benz, BMW has thrived from the debt-fueled consumerism in markets like the United States where they aggressively pushed volumes for years with attractively priced leasing deals that cost the carmaker just over 1 billion euros through the end of September alone.

Analysts are now re-evaluating previous assumptions regarding the premium market's true potential, after the worst excesses of easy credit have come to a screeching halt.

In addition, increasingly stringent emission requirements are putting a massive strain on R&D budgets for Mercedes and BMW and forcing the carmakers to replace heavier engines that earn fatter margins with downsized motors.

I am happy for number findings for BMW you should be proud of yourself. give yourself a pat on the back im sure your AUDI crotch riders are loving you.....thats nice but since we are not talking about numbers and we are talking about a particular car this has no relevance. thanks alot again.

re-check your facts

http://www.4wheelsnews.com/bmws-profits-go-down-with-almost-90-percent/

In the meantime:

Overall, Audi increased profit before tax by some 9 percent to almost EUR 3.2 billion.

The success achieved in 2008 is also reflected in Audi’s key financial ratios.

In 2008 we pushed the operating return on sales up even further from 8.0 to 8.1 percent.

The return on sales before tax rose even more steeply by 0.6 percentage points to 9.3 percent.

The further rise in the return on investment in a substantially more difficult economic environment is a testimony to Audi’s intrinsic strength.

With this ratio reaching 19.8 percent, Audi is one of the most profitable businesses in the international car industry.

i think some of that is fiction you want to beleive VISIO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And we are not cutting back on our R&D with a renewed commitment of 2 billions euros per year for new product development, and there is no hiring freeze at Audi AG as they are planning to hire 300 permanent employees and up to 400 temp workers...

The A8 has always been my favorite car from Audi. I liked the previous generation A8 but the current one is one of the most classy and conservative looks to come out of Germany after the S-Class. The next generation will be sweet!.

"One thing is for sure: the new A8 will not feature a hybrid drive".
Is it official? If not i think most probably A8 will have hybrid variant, maybe the one from Q7 hybrid(upcoming), and also to be competent as other three, Lexus(already has), MB and BMW are soon going to have it.

JUGNU

Passing thoughts.

Do people actually spend megabucks for a luxury sedan just because it's more economical that another brand? If someone's truely concerned about fuel economy why not just buy an econobox?

I haven't seen the new S-class MB but the Maybach is at a different level of fit and finish. Just because it may look similar doesn't put it in the same league.

All this concern about whether BMW or Audi or MB or Brand X is better is just silly. They all make nice cars so just drive what you like the most.

Stop-start technology is for the birds. It introduces an additional reliability issue as constantly stopping and starting will wear out the starter motor prematurely. Repairs will then outweigh any fuel saved. The driver always has the option to turn off the engine manually if long waits in still traffic are anticipated.