"Efficient flagship sedan" is no longer an oxymoron. At the 2012 Detroit auto show, Audi has announced the addition of diesel and supercharged V-6 A8 flagship sedan models for the U.S. market.
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Starting with the 2013 Audi A8, luxury customers finally have a direct competitor for the six-cylinder powered BMW 740i. The supercharged V-6 model, called the 2013 A8 3.0T, will produce 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. The 2012 Audi A8 with a 4.2-liter V-8 is good for 372 hp and 328 lb-ft of torque. In other words, there's a good chance many Audi owners may never know the difference, except at the pump. The 2012 Audi A8 with the V-8 engine is already good for a decent EPA-rated 18/28 mpg city/highway; the supercharged and diesel V-6 models should have no trouble breaking 30 mpg on the highway.
Audi says those who spend less on the 3.0T supercharged and TDI diesel V-6 variants will have access to similar standard and optional equipment as the V-8 model, like full LED headlights. The 2012 Audi A8 stickers for $79,625, including destination.
Start/stop engine technology will be standard on both V-6 A8 sedans, the first example of the system in a U.S.-spec Audi. Other available options include Google Voice Local Search, the ability to turn the car into a rolling Wi-Fi hot spot as well as a Bang and Olufsen sound system.
The 2013 Audi A8 TDI diesel will debut later in the year. Audi's turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 makes 225 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque in the Q7 SUV.
A 2012 BMW 740i six-cylinder carries a starting price of $71,895 while the 2012 Lexus LS 460 V-8 slips in below $70,000 at $68,505. Where do you think Audi should price the two new 2013 Audi A8 V-6 variants to be a sales success?
The 2012 Audi A8 is shown in the gallery below.
Source: Audi
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
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