TEASED! Audi Ramps Up Its Glimpses Of The All-new A8 — Time To #ForgetStress And Indulge In Luxury

Before the current-gen Mercedes-Benz S-Class, there was another luxury barge that did the whole tech thing better. That was the then all-new A8 sedan. It was one of the first cars to offer a bevy of massage settings and really make everyone take notice at its outstanding interior appointments.

No one was even close at the time.

Now that BMW and Mercedes-Benz have more than stepped up to the plate, the pressure is on at Audi. That's because the four rings has to bring its "A" game all the while delivering on the other things that make a high-end luxury vehicle succeed.

While we were expecting a more vivacious design due to Audi's hype of the Marc Licthe era, it seems like this all-new A8 will be more of an evolution of the current-gen product. Where I think the A8 will shine is with its novel and unique features.

Take, for example, one of the company's latest video teasers that shows off its foot massager for rear seat passengers.

According to the latest, the all-new A8 will debut at the Audi Summit located in Barcelona on July 11.

carloslassiter - 7/4/2017 8:00:33 PM

+2 Boost

Pretty sure that's an A3.

MDarringer - 7/4/2017 8:51:10 PM

-2 Boost

Maybe an A3L for China???

cidflekken - 7/4/2017 10:07:42 PM

+2 Boost

Jeebus. What kind of angle of distortion must my foot be in to get this brilliant foot massage?

runninglogan1 - 7/5/2017 5:34:30 AM

+2 Boost

Audi has been working on this car for ages. No doubt it will leap to the top of the class until the next S-class arrives in three or four years.

MDarringer - 7/5/2017 4:17:12 PM

0 Boost

The Audi Avalon has no such chance.

TomM - 7/5/2017 7:06:17 AM

+1 Boost

I note that no one has commented on that wierd passenger restraint system for the rear seat. Must be hell to get into.

Still - the A8 - just does not have the panache of a true Luxury car - except for the price - and it will not compete with real ones. IT remains a second tier car - and probably will be outsold by the Buick LaCrosse and Volvo.

Truthy - 7/5/2017 9:43:06 AM

+2 Boost

TomM, it will also be outsold by the Toyota Corolla, which is just as apt a comparison as yours. It does not have to outsell the S-Class to be successful.
As with any range topper it has to have a halo effect on the other cars in the range.

MDarringer - 7/5/2017 4:18:06 PM

0 Boost

The halo effect of the A8 is a legacy of boredom and indifference.

GermanNut - 7/5/2017 10:29:29 AM

+1 Boost

It is the impact that the A8's design and technology will have on Audi's lower models that is most important. Mercedes-Benz's S-Class design and technology were very well received and when they filtered down to the C-Class and up to the E-Class, Mercedes-Benz's sales skyrocketed.

If Audi can manage to wow consumers with is cutting edge technology and new design philosophy, there is no reason why it can't experience a sales surge the way Mercedes-Benz did due to its S-Class.

cidflekken - 7/6/2017 2:36:20 PM

+1 Boost

The A8 will never experience a sales surge except in China. There really isn't anything new about the design either. The profile looks no different than the current model. The front-end represents similar trickle-up strategy that BMW employs since it has already been seen on lower models. The Lincoln-inspired mono-brow taillight cheapens the look. Maybe from a technological standpoint it will have its high moments, but that's what they said about the 7 Series and we know how that's going. Technology can only take you so far before it's viewed as gimmicky and a waste of money. A big maybe is its autonomous driving tech, but how relevant is that really?

GermanNut - 7/7/2017 9:54:20 AM

+1 Boost

I wouldn't be so sure about your statements on the new A8. Please look at the following link on the new A8. The exterior design looks a lot more coupish than the current model. If you scroll through the past videos, the dash is completely different. To your point about the 7-Series, that vehicle doesn't have Level III autonomous driving and I wouldn't call autonomous driving (like BMW's hand gestures) as a gimmick given that it has real-world applicability and efficiency in many situations, many more than hand gestures do.

https://www.summit.audi/en

mre30 - 7/5/2017 12:28:04 PM

+1 Boost

The segment is starved for something credible that is not an S-Class.

If the A8 is good looking, premium-feeling, and tasteful - it will be huge success over the prior A8 (which was ugly and a lacking in the taste department).

The lackluster 7-Series and the Oddly restyled Lexus LS have left this segment wide-open.

MDarringer - 7/5/2017 4:21:50 PM

+1 Boost

After an S Class I'd go with a Continental or a G90 for their value proposition. The competitors to the S Class leave me cold. The new A8 is a bore as is the 7 Series. The XJ and the Quattroporte are terrible. The new Lexus will do OK but it's nothing special.

hangtime010 - 7/7/2017 10:03:01 AM

+1 Boost

Same people cutting the A8 as they did with the new A4 and Q7. Both of which are doing quite well in sales.
I'm not saying the new A8 is going to dethrone the S-Class, but it will likely do fairly well. Only time will tell (as they did with the other "new" models).