- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru He
The new Audi A8 E-Tron is already under development
Whether it’s the mighty Audi R8 or the latest Grandsphere electric concept car, which will turn into the new Audi A8 E-Tron in a year, Audi will always find a way to surprise the loyal fans. Despite the fact that the new generation A8 is still under development and there is not even a production prototype ready for road testing, some details have already become known. And we are ready to share these details with you, because we love Audi, and you?
The current, fourth generation Audi A8, available in Israel, has been produced since 2017. In 2021, the sedan was updated: restyling touched exterior, interior and technology. Today, the Israeli market offers the 60 TFSi e V6 version, a PHEV hybrid with a V6 turbo engine producing 462 hp and all-wheel drive Quattro. The price starts from 879,815 shekels (as of the end of 2022).
Audi unveiled the Grandsphere concept car in the summer of 2021, the second show car in the family to feature the word ‘sphere’ in its name after the Skysphere Roadster. The third was the Audi Urbansphere minivan. And recently, the fourth ‘sphere’ has appeared, in the form of the Activesphere coupe-like SUV (you can find more information about it below).
Exterior
The new Audi A8 E-Tron, the future flagship in Audi’s passenger model range, will appear on the market in 2024. According to Marc Lichte, Head of Audi Design, it will in many ways resemble the Grandsphere concept car. With a length of 5.35 m, a width of 2 m and a wheelbase of 3.19 m, this show car was even larger than the longer version of the current Audi A8 Long. The low sedan features a lot of interesting elements with the rear doors that swing open against the move, with no pillars in the center of the body, and with huge 23-inch wheels. The glass doors are also impressive, made of two parts, the upper part of which goes to the roof. Believe it or not, it was decided to transfer this feature to production cars…
Powertrains
Yes, yes, you understood correctly: from now on, the main Audi sedan is an electric car! No gasoline or diesel version… The 2024/2025 Audi A8 E-Tron is based on the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform, developed jointly with Porsche. It is known that it supports an 800-volt electrical system and is designed for two motors. The original Grandshere has received two electric motors, one on each axle. Together, this pair develops 721 hp. It takes the show car just over 4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h.
Activesphere
Since we are talking about ‘spheres’, it is worth mentioning the Activesphere, introduced at the beginning of 2023. This amazing concept of the future coupe-like SUV (attention!) can turn into a pickup. It was designed with the participation of Audi’s Californian design studio, which totally went for it, inventing a transforming car 4.98 m long, 2.07 m wide and with a wheelbase of almost 3 meters. Outwardly, the model looks like a typical coupe-like SUV with high ground clearance and off-road tires. What could go wrong? But suddenly… the board (made instead of the traditional fifth door) leans back, the power rear window moves onto the roof and you get a real pickup! Moreover, of special note are the huge 22-inch wheels: the discs are endowed with sliding elements that open in the off-road conditions and close at high speeds, improving aerodynamics.
