Critical Knowledge:

• Redesigned for 2011
• Longer, wider and taller than the outgoing model
• Lightweight aluminum body space frame
• Full LED illumination, including headlights
• Standard 372-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 engine
• New 8-speed automatic transmission
• Standard quattro all-wheel-drive powertrain
• Standard adaptive air suspension
• Available Audi Pre Sense safety equipment
• Next-generation multi-media interface (MMI)
• Arrives in the fall of 2010

Introduction
The world debut of the first Audi A8, the automaker's flagship full-size luxury sedan, was in 1994. Available exclusively to the European market, it did not arrive in North America until 1997. Sleek and aerodynamically styled, the A8 sedan was the world's first car built on an all-aluminum platform that was designed to save weight, improve corrosion resistance, and increase performance. The so-called "Audi Space Frame" represented the pinnacle of Audi engineering, and it was to set the design standard for each subsequent model. The second-generation A8 was introduced in 2004. Larger and more luxurious than its predecessor, it utilized an improved next-generation Audi Space Frame and even more advanced technology. Like the earlier version, the second-generation A8 was available in both standard and long-wheelbase models, with 8- and 12-cylinder powerplants, and Audi's standard "quattro" all-wheel-drive powertrain.

The third-generation A8, designated a 2011 model, is again more evolutionary than revolutionary. It is larger, wider and taller than its predecessor, and it rides on an updated Audi Space Frame platform. Under the hood, it shares a reworked version of the familiar 4.2-liter V-8 engine yet it debuts an all-new 8-speed transmission mated to the standard quattro all-wheel-drive system. Innovative technology is found with its LED headlamps and lighting, improved next-generation multi-media interface (MMI), and new advanced "Pre Sense" safety equipment. The 2011 Audi A8 arrives in showrooms in the fall of 2010.

For More Information:

• See 2011 Audi A8 Pictures
• Browse Other Audi Models
• Read More Previews