Unveiled three and a half years ago, the fourth generation Audi A8 is getting ready for its mid-life cycle refresh. Following recent sightings of the sporty S8 and what we believe is the longer and even more luxurious Horch version of the flagship sedan, the spy photographers have caught another glimpse of the regular A8 during winter testing in Northern Europe.
In terms of styling, we can see that the
headlamps have different graphics, similar to the ones on the new A3, though
it’s worth noting that while the PHEV had the regular lighting units at the
front, the ICE-powered variant was equipped with the Matrix LED clusters. The
grille has a slightly different shape as well, the front bumper is also new and
sports larger creases on each side, and we could expect tweaked side skirts,
rear bumper and probably redesigned taillights, even if on the test cars they
look virtually identical to the current iteration .
The overall design of the cockpit should
remain largely the same, with the two screens, one for the infotainment system
and the other one for controlling the HVAC, sitting in the middle of the
dashboard, as well as a third one for the digital instrument gauges. However,
they might feature more modern software, which, alongside upholstery and trim
revisions, should round out the changes inside.
It’s still too early to speak about the
engine family, though, if anything, expect improved fuel consumption and lower
carbon dioxide emissions. The plug-in hybrid model might also get a new battery
that will help it get a longer all-electric range. The current A8 TFSI e offers 27 km of electric driving, can hit 96 km/h in 4.9 seconds
and uses a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and an electric motor integrated into the torque
converter of the eight-speed automatic gearbox, for a total output of 443 HP and 699 Nm of torque.
The facelifted A8 is expected to debut
later this year as a 2022 model.
