New Audi A8 Teased, Will Have New LED Headlight System

..and those headlights not coming to the US.

OMG! New headlights!!!! And LED ones, no less. Time to run out and get this car, ASAP!!! What amazing innovation will Audi think of next?

</sarcasm>
Yet another overly-stylized LED headlight design from Audi? I used to salivate over the 2012 A5, then the sheet-metal took a turn for the more bland, while the LED-werks took a turns for the yet more outrageous and "look at me, I'm different!…I'm from the future!"

Audi, please make a couple that's to-die-for gorgeous, not new-age, and which inspires me to do stupid things with my money.

Just to clarify, I'm not saying that LED lights are a bad idea. In fact, they have many advantages over incandescent bulbs, such as drawing less current, lasting much longer, being potentially brighter, and coming up to full brightness much quicker (a very good thing for brake lights). These are all good things!

But using LED lights in cars is not news. Especially not for Audi. And my gripe with Audi's headlight designs is not that they are LED, but rather, it's with Audi's "look at me, I'm different!…I'm from the future!" styling, which to my eyes, is very unattractive.

Listen hater...you obviously didn't read the article before yapping and don't know anything about industry trends.

This article is more about safety innovation within the headlights, “That is because the lights provide a visual signal that can be clearly and quickly perceived, even at long distances and in poor visibility.”

Read the article for detailed specs regarding intensity and engineering.

Also, just in case you've failed to open your eyes the last 5 years, Audi has revolutionized the use of front and and rear LED lighting and most other luxury and now even economy suitors have followed.

Sounds like Audi already has the product you can go do stupid things with your money, its called the R8.

The "loving" tone in your post is certainly not lost, as one that starts with "listen hater." Ironic?

"“In the new Audi A8, the turn signal lights will now indicate the turning direction in an innovative way"

"When flashing, the blocks are sequentially activated at 20 millisecond intervals from the inside outwards"

Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah, on the Ford Mustang.

The mustangs front turn signals do that ?

Rear, but same concept.

It seems to be forgotten that Ford was the first manufacturer to use LEDs in their taillights around 1992 or 1993 in the Thunderbird. Cadillac followed suit with the Deville around 2000. And Kia was the first to use LEDs in the front with their turn signals in a sedan, I think the Amanti.

Audi A8 facelift turn signal, headlight and wheels...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kipl25WIhE

http://tinyurl.com/lzjheql

http://tinyurl.com/oex46wo

http://tinyurl.com/nkuxly9

http://tinyurl.com/m6uvby3

http://tinyurl.com/ltrpkug

http://tinyurl.com/ner6htk

It's amusing when some people whine about features of a car they can't afford -- such features are made to meet the needs of people who can actually afford to buy the A8, not for those who can't :) The Robb Report (lifestyle mag for the rich and famous) has chosen the A8.
http://tinyurl.com/am9crya
http://tinyurl.com/lvv3cnf
http://tinyurl.com/l5alsns
http://tinyurl.com/p7r99rw

In Germany, more Audi A8 cars were sold in the first seven months of 2013 than Mercedes S Class or BMW 7-Series. In the entire year 2012, in Germany, Audi sold more A8 (3,675) than Mercedes sold S-Class (3,304). Obviously Audi is doing something right that even German luxury car buyers -- who understand their German luxury cars better than anyone else -- like enough to buy the Audi A8. And in previous blogs I have posted numerous German car comparos that chose the Audi A8 over the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7 Series in almost all tests done in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
http://tinyurl.com/mmgkxvp

Indeed, as a luxury car brand Audi has been achieving record sales for several years -- and has been the world's largest luxury car brand outside the U.S. market.

On another issue, car design experts have awarded several Audi cars for their designs...

Audi has won several EyesOn Design Awards at the Detroit Auto show, including for the Audi A7 sportback concept, A6, A8, R8. The judges are car design experts.
http://tinyurl.com/mykq8xr
http://tinyurl.com/mmgvqjx

At the World Car of the Year awards, Audi has won the World Car Design of the Year two years and also been finalist. BMW and Mercedes have failed to win these prestigious award (although both have won awards for 'World Green Car').

http://tinyurl.com/ljqzm5y

http://tinyurl.com/ofrqmo6

Design awards for the new A3, new S3 and R8
http://tinyurl.com/lmt3mmp

Satriani1 Here you go with the same link everytime the A8 is mentioned. Yes the newest car introduced in this class outsold the model ending S-class. Whats funny is you only post sales to show you point. How about you show us what the worldwide sells for the A8 vs. the S class are. In 2012 or 2013. Hell pick any year of worldwide sells for the A8 vs. S class and tell me who is boss. I can hear the rebuttle now. But audi sells more A3's. These magazine says the A8 is better. Audi A8 wins are done now that the new s-class has been introduced. The S-class will win probably every test within the next couple years. Reply when Audi can charge the same price as the S-class and their world wide yearly sells arn't a fraction of the S.

merc07: So what you're admitting is that, between 2010 to 2012, the Audi A8 has been the better car with the better value than the Mercedes S Class. This is because:

- the Audi A8 beat the Mercedes S Class in virtually every major German car mag test between 2010 to 2012 (American car mags were unable to compare the old S-Class with the Audi A8 because Mercedes USA refused to supply S-Class cars to American car mags for their comparison tests with the Audi A8 in 2011, cowardly claiming that the S-Class was near the end of its life in April 2011 -- even though it was still 2.5 years before S Class actually ends its life this August 2013)

- Audi is not a price gouger: Audi charged slightly lower pricing for its superior Audi A8 cars than Mercedes did with its inferior S Class cars -- even though Audi A8 cars were the better cars from 2010 to 2012.

My important point is simple: no one else knows more about these German OberKlasse luxury cars than the Germans. The Germans are the best at building, driving, testing, understanding and choosing their own luxury sports cars. Therefore it was significant that Audi has sold slightly more A8 cars (14,831) than Mercedes has sold S-Class cars (14,592) in the last 3.5 years in Germany, particularly in the last 1.5 years based on statistics from the German Federal Transport Authority (KBA). What the Germans have realized is that, in recent years, the Audi A8 is as good or better than the Mercedes S-Class -- the Germans are making rational choices in choosing the best car for themselves.

Here are the KBA stats on new passenger car registrations in Germany:
- 2013 (Jan to July): Audi A8 was 1,676 vs Mercedes S Class was 1,381
- 2012: Audi A8 was 3,675 vs Mercedes S Class was 3,304
- 2011: Audi A8 was 4,728 vs Mercedes S Class was 4,730
- 2010: Audi A8 was 4,752 vs Mercedes S Class was 5,177

Thus it is irrelevant to my important point what the worldwide sales of the Audi A8 vs. the Mercedes S-class are. In many parts of the world Mercedes S-Class buyers tend to be trying to 'buy status' to impress other people (as Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman explained in the link)... while Audi A8 buyers tend to buy their car for themselves. Thus many Mercedes buyers tend to be making irrationally choices while Audi buyers tend to be making rational choices. It's unfortunate that there are a lot of shallow and insecure people buying cars for the illusion of status, but it takes all kinds to make up this world.
http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/mercedes.html

merc07: It's silly to say "reply when Audi can charge the same price as the S-class" (it would be like someone telling you: Why don't you reply when Mercedes can charge the same price as Audi's cousins the Porsche Panamera and the Bentley Continental?). Price gouging is simply an indicator of the stupidity of those people willing to pay an excessive amount for an inferior product.

Fact is, one reason Mercedes can charge a bit more is because competing Audi A8 and Mercedes S-Class cars do not carry exactly the same engine displacement and power. Mercedes cars tend to have ineffificent engines with larger displacement and more horsepower engines than Audi cars -- despite the fact that Audi's more efficient engines usually generate as good or better acceleration performance as these Mercedes cars with larger and more powerful engines.

In Germany, the following are the comparable A8/S-Class sub-models of the two brands (19% tax not added) -- new Mercedes S Class pricing versus pre-facelifted Audi A8 pricing:

- Audi A8L 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro long wheelbase (engine 2,967 cm3, 250 HP): 69,370 Euros
- Mercedes S 350 Bluetec long wheelbase (engine 4,663 cm3, 258 HP): 71,700 Euros

- Audi A8 A8L 4.2 TDI quattro long wheelbase (engine 4,134
cm3, 350 HP): 82,100 Euros
- Mercedes does not have a comparable product (i.e., Audi has the most expensive diesel car in this class)

- Audi A8 4.0 TFSI quattro short wheelbase (engine 2,995 cm3, 420 HP): 84,202 Euros
- Mercedes S 500 short wheelbase (engine 4,663 cm3, 455 HP): 87,900 Euros

- Audi A8L Hybrid long wheelbase (engine 1,984 cm3, 245 HP): 72,100 Euros
- Mercedes S 400 Hybrid long wheelbase (engine 3,498 cm3, 333 HP): 76.550 Euros

- Audi A8L 4.0 TFSI quattro long wheelbase (engine 3,993 cm3, 420 HP): 84,202 Euros
- Mercedes S 500 long wheelbase (engine 4,663 cm3, 455 HP): 90,450, Euros

- Audi S8 short wheelbase (engine 3,993 cm3, 520 HP): 94,453 Euros
- Mercedes S 63 AMG short wheelbase (engine 5,461 cm3, 585 HP): 125,950 Euros

When you say Audi's "world wide yearly sells aren't a fraction of the S Class" -- do you not understand the meaning of a "fraction" or did they not teach you basic math in Mercedes sales school? [Hmmm, maybe that's why you charge so much :) ]

"Who was boss" was the Audi A8 -- it was the best car in its class. We know for sure the how the German car mags evaluated the Audi A8 vs the Mercedes S Class between 2010 to 2012.

Instead of fantasizing that "the S-class will win probably every test within the next couple years"... why don't we wait for a few actual German car mag tests comparing the new S-Class and the facelifted A8 (which will be done by Spring 2014) before jumping to speculations?

In the meantime, I don't remember any S-Class sedan ever winning Robb Report's Car of the Year award -- unlike the Audi A8.

German car mags latest on the facelifted A8, including Audi's official sketches...

http://fotos.autozeitung.de/938x704/images/bildergalerie/2013/08/2013-Audi-A8-Facelift-Design-Skizzen-IAA-Luxuslimousine-04.jpg

http://fotos.autozeitung.de/938x704/images/bildergalerie/2013/08/2013-Audi-A8-Facelift-Design-Skizzen-IAA-Luxuslimousine-01.jpg

http://www.autozeitung.de/auto-neuheiten/2013-audi-a8-facelift-design-skizzen-iaa-luxuslimousine-gn-401970

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/audi-a8-facelift-iaa-2013-4329286.html

http://www.autobild.de/bilder/audi-a8-facelift-erste-skizzen-4329617.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S7eukwKgoWw

Satraini1: 2014 S-class

What Edmunds Says

Already the benchmark for flagship luxury sedans, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class aims even farther upmarket with a host of new variants.Next year, the S-Class coupe arrives, effectively replacing the CL-Class nameplate, while a follow-up four-seat convertible should give Mercedes a formidable pair of Bentley Continental GT challengers.

Car and Driver

The class president will now be heard.

The last word in luxury limos hasn't been spoken until Mercedes-Benz has had the floor. Herr Dr. Benz’s firm was making the preferred shipping containers for the mostly unelected elite when Audi was merely a business plan.

Automotive

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class arrives to build on a model that has been the benchmark by which all other automakers aspire.


Extremetech

The bottom line is that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is not just the best premium luxury sedan on the market today, it is the best car you are ever likely to drive.

*It is not surprising news that the new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class has taken home two first place finishes in the 2013 Automotive Brand Contest. The “Best of the Best” award was given to both the exterior and the interior design of the Mercedes S-Class.*

It's no need to compare the awards, safety innovations, and inventions between the a8 vs the S. The s-class is effortlessly superior.

Finally, don't forget any award that the a8 wins on design which is totally subjective might I add, should be shared with the a6 and a4 as they are basically the same car just streached.

Did you learn this from extremetech.com or automotive .com?

Satraini1 No No No my friend I won't let you off the hook that easily. I didn't want to prove how much of an idiot you are until you wanted to mention my math skills. When I said the A8 sales a fraction of the S-class sales that exactly what I meant. You like to quote German figures but failed to quote the global sales in the large luxury car market. So because you seem to be unable to educate yourself I'll gladly do it for you. The newest car in it's class the Audi A8 sold a total of 38,636 units. Mercedes the oldest model in it's class also the most expensive sold a total of 59,184 units. In math terms the A8's sales are roughtly 65% of the sales mercedes made. Or for you that means if Audi sold roughly 6 to 7 units mercedes sold 10 more expensive older s-classes. IDIOT.

merc07: "You like to quote German figures but failed to quote the global sales in the large luxury car market. So because you seem to be unable to educate yourself I'll gladly do it for you.... (the Mercedes S Class) sold a total of 59,184 units."
Gosh you really are an idiot.
That's not the figures for the S-Class. 59,184 units are the global sales figures for the BMW 7 Series in 2013 that I originally provided in an earlier blog.
Yes, it was me who originally provided the correct figures with linked references in the other blog in order to educate people like you, LOL.
In that earlier blog I already gave you and PQ40 the correct figures for Audi A8, BMW 7 and Mercedes S. So go check the info I have already provided, and this time get your fractions right, LOL.
http://www.autospies.com/news/New-A8-Targets-Next-Gen-S-Class-But-Can-They-Conquer-The-Undisputed-King-Of-The-Jungle-77396/

In the big picture, the global sales figures are irrelevant to my arguments. In 2012, the 38,636 people who bought an Audi A8 bought a superior car compared to the 65,128 people who bought the inferior Mercedes S-Class and 59,184 who bought the inferior BMW 7-Series (based on German car magazine tests which consistently rated the Audi A8 as the best full-size luxury car of the pack -- see links).
http://tinyurl.com/kvxa4gn
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As I already said, many people outside Germany buy
the Mercedes S Class for the illusion of status that they think buying the S Class will bring. They are not making a rational buying decision to buy the best car (superior car).

On the other hand, the Germans know more about their German luxury cars than the rest of the world. The Germans know more about their German brands Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc. than anyone else. They are making more informed rational decisons about buying their German cars than people outside Germany. They are not blinded by a brand or illusion of status.

That's why it is very significant that Germans bought more Audi A8 cars than Mercedes S Class cars in the last 3.5 years in Germany.

merc07: For someone who thinks he's not an idiot, you try your best to contradict yourself with your own arguments....

You conclude that "The s-class is effortlessly superior" because automotive.com and extremetech.com gave their thumbs up.

From the automotive.com, you learned that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class "has been the benchmark by which all other automakers aspire."

Here is how insignificant this automotive.com is on the internet...
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/automotive.com#trafficstats

From Extremetech.com, you learned that the S-Class is "the best premium luxury sedan on the market today, it is the best car you are ever likely to drive"

Extremetech is a struggling weblog staffed mostly with computer nerds whom write mostly about computer technology. Extremetech's magazine failed in 2005 after only two years in print... and its website was shutdown from 2009 to 2011 after its staff were laid off.

Trust me, most Audi A8 and Mercedes S customers would not waste their time on silly sites like Extremetech.com and automotive.com.

But wait a minute... Extremetech did write something relevant to this blog's topic: "The Feds don’t know what to make of Audi’s new LED headlamps... Audi built a better automotive lighting system, known as the matrix beam LED headlamps. Matrix LEDs promise better, more precise lighting for the driver, less blinding light to dazzle oncoming cars, and a kind of mid-beams for roads with only a little traffic. The Matrix lighting technology is ready to go on the 2013 Audi A8 big luxury sedan, but don’t hold your breath if you live in the US — when Audi asked the National Highway Transportation Administration for a ruling, the NHTSA demurred, unsure how to fit the square peg of a variable-output, matrix headlamp array into the round hole they call low and high beams... This is not an unproven or unsafe technology, rather it’s something the NHTSA needs to revisit, soon... US historically sluggish to adopt lighting technology... When government is uncertain about a new product or technology, it often chooses to move cautiously. That’s good if it’s a prescription acne drug that might cause cancer. With car lighting, the benefits (fewer accidents) probably outweigh the drawbacks. Eventually, Audi will get the headlamps approved. Just not at the speed of light."
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/148601-the-feds-dont-know-what-to-make-of-audis-new-headlamps

merc07: "don't forget any award that the a8 wins on design which is totally subjective might I add, should be shared with the a6 and a4 as they are basically the same car just streached."
Did you learn this from extremetech.com or automotive .com?

You should have fully quoted the sentence from the first drive review of Car and Driver: "The last word in luxury limos hasn't been spoken until Mercedes-Benz has had the floor. Herr Dr. Benz’s firm was making the preferred shipping containers for the mostly unelected elite when Audi was merely a business plan, when BMW was in the bubble-car business, and when the word “lexus” was just badly butchered Latin."

Car and Driver needs to improve on their history of Audi.
The first Audi brand car, the Type B, 10/28PS was delivered early in 1910.
On the other hand, the first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi#History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Benz#History

I too can quote from Edmunds.com about the Audi A8: "the Audi does distinguish itself by being more of a "driver's" car, rather than being an isolation chamber."

Edmunds.com roadtest of the 2013 Audi A8 L 4.0T: "There are varying degrees of luxury in this world. On one side of the spectrum, you have the garish gilded palaces of the well-funded like, say, Donald Trump. On the other side, there is tasteful luxury, the kind that whispers rather than screams, "I am special.".... It's blazing fast in a straight line and extremely capable on a twisty road. And yet it does it all with an ease and subtlety that makes it feel as if it's not even trying that hard. That's our kind of luxury... Even on rain-slicked mountain roads, the 2013 Audi A8 L shrugs off hairpin turns and careless throttle inputs. It would take the most ham-fisted Neanderthal of a driver to get the car out of sorts, as its sole purpose seems to be dissecting curves with minimal effort behind the wheel. The A8 is as confidence-inspiring and tranquil under high cornering loads as it is when lumbering down swanky boulevards. And it's with this tidiness that the A8 appeals to both driver and passengers.... The real conundrum regarding this Audi A8 L may be regarding the preferred seat. With the $11,250 Executive Rear Seat option added to our test vehicle, choosing between driver and passenger does actually become an issue. Comparing these loungelike rear seats to private jets does not do them justice. Private jets are loud and feel claustrophobic by comparison. The range of seat adjustments allows dignitary passengers to either sit upright or recline to near horizontal. In full dictator mode, the front passenger seat slides forward for ultimate legroom, then a footrest folds out from the seatback. In addition to all of this space, that passenger has the luxury of selecting a wide variety of comfort features that include the obligatory heating and ventilation, as well as a host of massage styles and entertainment options. And then there's the cooler box between the rear seats that will keep a bottle of Dom at the perfect temperature for celebrating the latest acquisition or conquest. With all of the climate and refrigerator mechanicals eating up trunk space, though, backseat VIPs will need to travel lighter than usual.... The 2013 Audi A8 L now distinguishes itself with a V8 engine that is both technologically advanced and sufficiently powerful to measure up to anything in the class. Nothing about the way it performs will leave you wanting unless you're looking for a real sport sedan. In that case, you're better off with something smaller. This A8 is all about heightened performance in a full-size package. It delivers on all counts and does so in a way that's satisfying without being over the top. Trump wouldn't like it, and that's just fine with Audi."
http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a8/2013/road-test.html