2010 Audi A8 to launch in Miami

The Audi Pavilion at Design Miami USA where Audi will reveal the 2010 A8

The long, drawn-out saga of the next generation Audi A8 is finally being resolved with the announcement that Audi are going to launch the A8 on the eve of the Design Miami USA event – 30th November. Which does seem a bit of an odd place for a mainstream, high-end car maker to launch its new flagship. Are Audi saying that the new A8 is all about design, rather than performance or luxury or, quite frankly, anything else? It does seem so.

Audi are erecting the ‘Audi Pavilion’ – a temporary Museum structure – in the design district in Miami to launch the A8. Audi are saying that as Miami is the art & design centre of the world (?) they are launching the A8 at such an unusual venue as it “symbolizes the cultural and technological progress embodied in the Audi A8 with its history, its engineering and its emotion-packed design.” Which sort of says that the design of the A8 is the paramount virtue. A bit odd.

The last tease of any sort we had officially was back in July when Audi released a picture of the A8 under a big cloth with their bank manager standing by it. We also reported back in April that Audi had decided not to have a W12 or S8 version of the 2010 A8. We speculated on the reasons for that, but we have had no official word from Audi yet. But maybe we’ll find out more at the end of the month.

We’re certain the A8 will be a very good car. It does worry us a bit that our report on the high-end models being dropped may well be true, as Audi are concentrating on the design more than the drivetrains. We’re right more than we’re wrong, but we’d love to wrong on this one. The S8 is a great drive for a big car – if a little harsh – and the W12 is a very creamy lump.

Oh, well. If we’re right you can put it down to more ‘Eco’.

By Cars UK