2011 Audi A8 Confirmed for Fall 2010 Debut
The last full redesign for the A8 was in 2003, and since then it has received only minor facelifts. In the meantime, we’ve seen the new Mercedes S-class, BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS all debut with substantial upgrades, and the A8 is beginning to show its age.
According to Audi’s chairman, Rupert Stadler, that’s about to change soon. Speaking at the 120th annual meeting of Audi AG, he revealed that the 2011 Audi A8 will go on sale in the U.S. as early as the fall of 2010.
Stadler claims the new A8 will be “the sportiest luxury sedan in its class,” a tall order considering the competition from Mercedes and BMW. He also said the new A8 will “set new standards with regard to interiors. And we will unveil it to the world in a remarkable fashion in late November.”
Sales of the A8 have lagged behind its competitors’ for some time. While sales of segment entries from BMW, Lexus and Mercedes all are down significantly for the year so far, A8 sales are particularly dismal. For the year through April, Audi has sold less than 400 A8/S8 sedans, while BMW has moved more than 1700 of its 7-series, Mercedes has offloaded almost 3400 of its S-class and Lexus has sold more than 3200 of its LS.
Given those numbers, Audi has a lot of work to do to prove the A8 is just as worthy of consumers’ dollars as its German brethren. After hearing those hefty claims from Audi, we’ll be impatiently waiting until November to see what Audi has in store for its top-of-the-line sedan.
