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Audi’s flagship sedan will reportedly move to an all-electric powertrain, ushering in new levels of self-driving abilities and range for the brand when it’s unveiled next year. Autocar reported Friday that the Audi A8 sedan would bow next year and feature a battery of up to 120 kWh, which could offer ranges of more than 400 miles and be the most powerful model in the automaker’s stable with up to 700 horsepower or more.
The outlet reported that the final design would closely resemble the Audi Grandsphere concept from 2021 but feature a more conventional design inside and out. The electric sedan will reportedly break from the traditional three-box design from its predecessors but still seat up to four or five adults within its swoopy shape and have a low ride height. Autocar didn’t cite any sources in its report. An Audi spokesman told The Drive the report was “speculation” and did not comment.
Moving the A8 to an all-electric powertrain is mainly in keeping with what the company has said already. In 2021, Audi’s CEO said it would offer 20 EVs by 2025, and the replacement sedan for the A3 will likely be an EV, but won’t be called the A3. This year’s new E-Tron will reportedly underpin the A8, co-developed with sister-company Porsche, called PPE. It should offer an 800-volt architecture that would enable fast charging at speeds up to 270 kW.
Like the Grandsphere concept, the A8 likely will lead the way in self-driving technology for Audi, which has been among the forerunners for German luxury brands, and was one of the first luxury automakers to offer Level 3 self-driving capability in selected markets. The last-gen Audi A8 was equipped with L3 technology when it launched, although it never arrived in the U.S. Only Mercedes-Benz has certified L3 self-driving cars in the U.S., in selected states. Nonetheless, the Audi A8 has been a technological tour de force before, and that’s not likely to change with the next-gen model. It’s unclear if the upcoming A8 EV will have an accompanying internal combustion-powered counterpart, but if it does, it’s not likely to be called the A8.
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