The Audi A8, launched in 2017, is about to receive a slight update. Almost imperceptible alterations, which designer Nikita Chuicko nevertheless tried to illustrate. The limousine should take it up a notch with an ultra-luxury finish dubbed Horch. Argus takes stock.
[Mise à jour le 22/09/2021] Latest camouflaged photos of the future restyled A8 live from China before its official presentation, scheduled for the beginning of November 2021. The grille appears more in 3D than on the current model. The optics adopt Matrix LED technology. Few changes on board, except the adoption of a version called Horch designating the ultra-luxury offer of the limousine (electric adjustments of the two rear seats with heating, ventilation and massage). This name refers to a German manufacturer who died in 1956 and is one of the four founding labels of Auto Union.
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Presented in 2017 in Frankfurt, the Audi A8 arrives at mid-career and will soon undergo a slight update. Still very current, it should evolve on details, as shown by designer Nikita Chuicko’s first illustrations for Russian media Kolesa.
Minimal changes for the limousine
To imagine the restyled A8, the illustrator took the spy photos of camouflaged prototypes and the latest Audi design developments, especially on the A3 unveiled in 2020. Thus, the change is made on a few details: the headlights receive a new light signature, with a hook under the block in the manner of the compact, while the shield evolves with more vertical air intakes. The grille, already huge on the current A8, should not budge. On the other hand, its pattern can evolve, as evidenced by the prototypes and the illustration. The A8 could thus reduce its share of chrome, which is very important on the current version.
At the rear, the changes are also meager: the A8 should remain faithful to its band of lights highlighted with a thin line of chrome, while the projectors will keep the OLED technology, recovered by the restyled Q5 in 2020. As for the interior, it should not undergo major changes.
Restyling planned for spring
Plug-in hybrid versions are gradually arriving in the manufacturer’s catalog, as on the Q3 45 TFSI e from the start of the year. But, in 2019, Audi announced for the A8 a 60 TFSI e version equipped with a 3.0 TSI V6 offering a cumulative power of 449 hp. This variant, which allows around forty kilometers of driving in 100% electric mode, should remain in the catalog during the restyling, the presentation of which is scheduled for spring 2021.
TO READ. German news planned for 2021
