Audi India has launched the New Audi A8L saloon at an introductory price of Rs 1.56 Crores (Ex. Showroom) India. The German luxury automaker has presented the new saloon in a single fully-loaded 55 TFSI variant with several first-in-segment features. Audi only sells the long-wheelbase version of the A8 in the Indian market while other global markets have it in the standard guise as well.
Underpinning the MLB evo architecture, New Audi A8L has grown in length and height by 37mm and 17mm, respectively. The wheelbase an increase by 6mm now stands at 3128mm while the sedan rides on 19-inch alloy wheels. This is a major facelift for the A8 since its launch three years back in 2017. The new model comes with HD Matrix LED headlamps which are sleeker in shape with the hexagonal front grille retained from the preceding model. The safety features include 8-airbags, ABS, traction control, ESC, hill-start assist and a 3d surround view camera as standard.
The comfort features are avantgarde in form of a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and media, 8.6-inch touchscreen for climate control and seat functions, 23 Speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D surround sound system, voice command system, head-up display, Audi Virtual Cockpit with digital instrument cluster and new multi-function steering wheel, ambient lighting and seat massage etc. to name a few. There are a total of 54 exterior paint schemes on offer with the 2020 Audi A8L. The bookings for the new saloon have been underway since the past six months or so at Audi dealerships.
Mechanically, New Audi A8L is powered by a BS6 compliant 3.0L V6 turbocharged petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The engine delivers top power of 340bhp and peak torque of 500Nm while it is linked to an 8-speed automatic transmission which transmits the power evenly to all the four wheels via an all-wheel drive system. Weighing around 2000 kgs, the saloon does a 0-100kmph sprint in merely 5.7 seconds. Audi A8L is at loggerheads with BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJL, Mercedes Benz S-Class and Lexus LS500h in the Indian market.
