• Long wheelbase versions of Audi luxury saloon open for order in late July for first deliveries in December 2010 - OTR prices expected to start from around £58,000
• 3.0-litre TDI (250PS), 4.2-litre TDI (350PS), 4.2-litre FSI (372PS) and 6.3-litre W12 FSI (500PS) power
• 130mm increase in wheelbase length, body length extended by the same amount and all incorporated at the rear to maximise passenger comfort
• Additional equipment includes heated outer rear seats, sunroof, deluxe four-zone climate control and electric rear and side window blinds
Audi has stretched the bounds of luxury saloon comfort even further in the new long wheel base version of its flagship A8 saloon, which incorporates an additional 130mm of wheelbase and body length, the latter concentrated at the rear to provide even more exceptional passenger accommodation. Making its world public debut at the Beijing Motor Show (April 27-May 2), and due to open for UK order in late July priced from around £58,000, the new Audi A8 L will also be further refined by an extensively reworked version of the twelve cylinder W12 petrol engine offering further improved power and efficiency.
The 130mm increase takes the length of the new A8 L to 5,267 millimeters, and the wheelbase has grown by the same amount to 3,122mm. Lightweight aluminium employed for all elements bar the safety boosting high strength steel B pillars ensures that the extended Audi Space Frame (ASF) body, like its standard wheelbase counterpart, weighs around 40 per cent less than an all-steel equivalent.
Power will come courtesy of four engines – the 3.0-litre TDI (250PS), the 4.2-litre TDI (350PS), the 4.2-litre FSI (372PS) and, exclusively for the long wheelbase model, the W12, which in its latest application has been bored out from 6.0-litres to 6.3-litres, and incorporates FSI direct petrol injection in the interest of optimum economy and emissions control. Maximum power has increased by 50PS over the previous version to 500PS, and the 45Nm higher torque peak of 625 Nm arrives at 3,250 rpm.