Audi Grandsphere concept reportedly going into production as the next A8

The next-generation Audi A8 will borrow several key styling cues and features from the GrandSphere concept, according to a recent report. The luxurious sedan will land in showrooms in a couple of years as an electric sedan with a spacious interior and a long list of tech features.

Built on the PPE platform developed jointly with Porsche, the next-generation A8 will adopt the E-Tron nameplate, according to British magazine Autocar. It’s expected to make its official debut in 2023, and the publication learned that the overall design won’t change much.

“The GrandSphere is a very concrete teaser. It’s not far away from what will become production. It’s not 1:1 but very close,” Marc Lichte, the head of Audi’s design department, told Autocar. It sounds like Audi’s next flagship sedan will receive a complete exterior make-over.

While the exterior design shouldn’t change much, it will be interesting to see how much of the interior makes the leap from concept car to production car. Audi developed the GrandSphere with Level 4 autonomous technology in mind and designed the interior accordingly; Oliver Hoffmann, the head of Audi’s technical development, told Autoblog in 2021 that the concept was created from the inside out.

It’s too early to tell exactly what the next-generation A8 will be powered by, but the sedan will exclusively be available with an electric drivetrain; the PPE platform isn’t compatible with a gasoline-powered engine. For context, the concept unveiled in 2021 (pictured) used a pair of electric motors (one per axle) rated at 710 horsepower and 708 pound-feet of torque. They were linked to a massive, 120-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that stores enough electricity for a driving range of up to 466 miles. Audi quoted a 0-to-60-mph time of about 4 seconds.

The next-generation A8 isn’t the only high-end electric model that Audi will unveil in 2024. British magazine Top Gear learned that the German firm’s product roadmap also includes an electric RS6 E-Tron based on the next-generation A6, which hasn’t been unveiled yet but should stay relatively close to the A6 E-Tron concept introduced in April 2021 and the A6 Avant E-Tron concept unveiled in March 2022.

Also built on the PPE platform, the RS6 E-Tron will reportedly stand out from the A6 with more power and a more muscular-looking exterior design — these features have characterized Audi’s high-power wagons since the RS2 made its debut as an evolution of the 80 in 1994.

“I love the RS6 because I can put bikes inside, skis, so many things. That’s why I love it. And for me, stance. It’s always the wide track. And if you think about competitors of Audi, are they in the market right now with performance EVs with the wider track? I would say no,” Lichte said.

There’s no word yet on whether the RS6 E-Tron will reach our market.

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