- Audi has yet to confirm if the long-running A8 luxury sedan will continue.
- A8’s next generation was once planned as an EV based on Porsche tech.
- A final decision about the A8’s fate is expected within the next few weeks.
The Audi A8 could be nearing the end of its road. Production of the current model has been running since 2017, and although it received a facelift midway through its life, Audi still hasn’t confirmed whether it will get a successor. The flagship sedan, once a technological showpiece for Audi, now stands at a crossroads.
If Audi does end production, it will mark the first time in more than three decades that the company has no direct rival to the BMW 7 Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Read: Audi Wants To Climb The Luxury Ladder Without Stepping On Bentley’s Toes
It wouldn’t be alone, either. Lexus is preparing to discontinue the long-serving LS as it experiments with an unconventional six-wheeled minivan concept as a potential spiritual successor.
Future In Question
The A8’s fate has been uncertain for years. Initially, Audi was expected to introduce not one but two full-electric successors in 2027, including a crossover known internally as Landjet and a low-slung sedan called Landyacht, inspired by the striking 2021 Grandsphere Concept, according to Automobilwoche.
Those plans, however, now seem to be unraveling. The next-generation A8 models were meant to share their platform with Porsche’s upcoming electric K1 crossover, but that project has been postponed indefinitely. Porsche has chosen instead to develop a different hybrid model, forcing Audi to rethink its own strategy.
More: Porsche’s K1 EV Plans Collapse, Flagship SUV To Launch With Gas Instead
Combined with sluggish EV sales in several major markets, the company appears to have moved its electric flagship project to the back burner.
In an interview with the German outlet, Audi confirmed it is still “looking for a platform for a possible successor” to the A8. Geoffrey Bouqout, the brand’s head of technical development, said that the team is “thinking intensively about when we will launch the successor to the A8 and which drive technology is the right one.”
Searching For A Platform Forward
The current A8 rides on the MLB evo platform introduced in 2017, and Audi says it cannot stretch that architecture any further. “A refresh is not an option,” a spokesperson told the outlet, citing the high cost of updating the platform to comply with tighter emissions regulations and other new standards.
The Volkswagen Group’s MSB platform, used since 2016 for models such as the Porsche Panamera and Bentley Continental, is also nearing the end of its viable life. It faces similar issues, making it an unlikely choice for a new A8.
One solution could involve adapting Audi’s newly developed Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture, which will underpin the next-generation Q7 and the larger Q9. An elongated version could serve as the foundation for a new A8, keeping it powered by combustion engines for several more years.
Such a move could give Audi breathing room well into the 2030s, by which time the brand should have a clearer sense of whether an all-electric replacement makes commercial and technological sense. For now, though, the A8’s survival remains uncertain.
Audi is expected to make a decision about the model’s future in the coming weeks. If the axe does fall, loyalists seeking top-tier comfort and craftsmanship will have to turn to the brand’s larger premium SUVs to find the closest equivalent to Audi’s long-standing luxury flagship.
Source: Automobilwoche
