No press releases or farewell campaigns were issued for this event, unlike the highly publicized goodbye to the TT and the sporty R8. Last month, Audi stopped producing its luxury sedan, the A8, at its plant in Neckarsulm, and halted the acceptance of orders for new cars.
The A8 was launched in 1994 when Volkswagen’s luxury division decided to compete head-to-head in the profitable flagship segment dominated by the German rivals Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series. The first generation was even built from expensive and lightweight aluminum, part of a technological revolution the company hoped to promote and a way to support its promise of offering a more advanced vehicle than its competitors.
However, even after four generations, the A8 never managed to compete commercially with the S-Class and the 7 Series. The current generation was launched in 2017, and Audi chose not to introduce a direct successor. In recent years it has been sold in Israel in a plug-in version, with a 3,000 cc six-cylinder engine producing 462 hp and all-wheel drive, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and offering an electric range of 58 km, with a starting price of about NIS 1 million. According to Israel’s Transport Ministry, 410 units of the A8 from all model years are currently on the road in Israel, and two have been delivered since the beginning of the year.
In Israel, the A8 gained special status in 2010 when it became the armored official vehicle of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The cost of the vehicle, with special protection against gunfire, was then NIS 3.5 million, making it the most expensive car in the country at the time. The armored version was developed in cooperation between Israel’s Shin Bet and its German counterpart, intended for senior officials in both countries. High wear caused by the heavy weight led the state in 2016 to purchase new armored A8 models, this time also for other state symbols and threatened senior officials, such as the President of Israel, the President of the Supreme Court, and the IDF Chief of Staff.
Audi will not introduce a direct replacement for the A8, but it is working on a larger and more luxurious crossover than the Q7 and the upcoming Q9. The new model is expected to compete with the Range Rover and the Mercedes GLS, and could serve A8 customers as their next vehicle.