New Audi A8L coming to China in October

Shanghai September 13 (Gasgoo.com) The first batch of new Audi A8L models powered by the 3.0L V6 TFSI engines will fill up dealerships in China in October and be officially launched in December this year. While the second batch, including the 4.2 V8 FSI and the 6.0L W12 powered versions, will enter the Chinese market in 2011, FAW-VW dealers told The Beijing News recently.

The new Audi A8L measures (LxWxH) 5267mm x 1949mm x 1471mm and has a super long wheelbase of 3122m, specially designed for Chinese consumers. The new car comes with a lighter body, providing better performance with a new chassis, tubular anti-roll bars, air shock absorbers, etc..

Apart from a larger body and more luxury ambience, the new Audi A8L's maneuverability and security configuration have been well upgraded. The new car features the night-vision systems, Audi side assist system, multi media interface( MMI) operating system that can recognize handwriting inputs for the phone and navigation system, Bang & Olufsen Sound System and so on.

Engine wise, it is the first time for the 3.0 TFSI direct injection supercharged engine to be used in the A8L model, delivering maximum power of 290ps and maximum torque of 420Nm, which will compeltely replace the previous 3.0 V6 FSI engine.

Moreover, the 4.2 V8 FSI engine puts out 372Ps and has a peak torque of 445Nm, while the 6.0L W12 engine has a maximum power of 500Ps and a maximum torque of 625Nm, both matching an eight-speed tiptronic auto transmission with DSP and sport program and the Quattro four-wheel-drive (4WD) system.

With launch of the all-new Audi A8L, Volkswagen's embarrassing situation in China's luxury market will be greatly improved.The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series are currently dominating the segment.