justplain
Expert Member
That steering wheel.......very weird looking
-
Join the MyBroadband community
South Africa’s biggest forum. Discuss, discover, and connect with thousands of members.
-
Question of the Day: Will you be subscribing to the new Disney+ R49 streaming package?
2018 Audi A8 (D5) incl S8
- Thread starter FiestaST
- Start date
FiestaST
Honorary Master
[video=youtube_share;YpSPucXi3ug]https://youtu.be/YpSPucXi3ug[/video]
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
[video=youtube_share;3DH-k3fwBSo]https://youtu.be/3DH-k3fwBSo[/video]
FiestaST
Honorary Master
New Audi A8 will not go electric
| Autocar
The new Audi A8 will not be offered with an all-electric variant, with Audi instead choosing to focus on its traditionally fuelled line-up as well as a plug-in hybrid to be introduced next year.
Audi's large cars boss, Peter Fromm, said: "For this model, we do not plan an electric A8. But in future [A8 models], yes."
Based on current product lifecycles, that means it’s unlikely there will be an all-electric A8 until 2024.
However, a flagship A9 e-tron electric luxury saloon is due to be added to the line-up in that time.
Audi’s first foray into electric vehicles will be the E-tron SUV next year, which will have a range of 310 miles. Another two electric models will be introduced in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Talking about the E-Tron, Audi UK boss Andrew Doyle said: “We might not have been first to market but we will have the best EV on the market. It's not going to be huge-volume from the beginning."
He added that the Government’s plans to roll-out more public fast chargers is important for the take-up of EVs.
Talking about the recently announced plans to make all cars electric in France by 2040, Fromm said he believed this was a reasonable timeline: "By 2040, we're going to make it [all electric]."
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-audi-a8-will-not-go-electric -0
The new Audi A8 will not be offered with an all-electric variant, with Audi instead choosing to focus on its traditionally fuelled line-up as well as a plug-in hybrid to be introduced next year.
Audi's large cars boss, Peter Fromm, said: "For this model, we do not plan an electric A8. But in future [A8 models], yes."
Based on current product lifecycles, that means it’s unlikely there will be an all-electric A8 until 2024.
However, a flagship A9 e-tron electric luxury saloon is due to be added to the line-up in that time.
Audi’s first foray into electric vehicles will be the E-tron SUV next year, which will have a range of 310 miles. Another two electric models will be introduced in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Talking about the E-Tron, Audi UK boss Andrew Doyle said: “We might not have been first to market but we will have the best EV on the market. It's not going to be huge-volume from the beginning."
He added that the Government’s plans to roll-out more public fast chargers is important for the take-up of EVs.
Talking about the recently announced plans to make all cars electric in France by 2040, Fromm said he believed this was a reasonable timeline: "By 2040, we're going to make it [all electric]."
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-audi-a8-will-not-go-electric -0
FiestaST
Honorary Master
New Audi A8 will not go full EV
Do not expect to see a fully EV Audi in the next few years.
Despite the new A8 being one of Audi’s most advanced cars, head of the division Peter Fromm says that the model will feature only fossil fuel-consuming variants, Autocar reports.
Fromm added that future A8 models would feature electric drivetrains, however given Audi’s current life-cycle schedule, this is likely to take place only after 2024. Instead, Audi will begin production of the E-Tron crossover next year followed by two other EVs in the years to follow.
“We might not have been first to market but we will have the best EV on the market. It’s not going to be huge-volume from the beginning,” head of Audi UK, Andrew Doyle, added.
Fromm also noted that by 2040, with reference to France’s recently proposed bill to ban all fossil fuel engines, the brand would produce only electric vehicles for that market.
The new A8 will e available with a hybrid-electric drivetrain that makes use of Audi’s 3,0 TFSI and boasts an electric range of 50 km.
http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/new-audi-a8-will-not-go-full-ev/
Do not expect to see a fully EV Audi in the next few years.
Despite the new A8 being one of Audi’s most advanced cars, head of the division Peter Fromm says that the model will feature only fossil fuel-consuming variants, Autocar reports.
Fromm added that future A8 models would feature electric drivetrains, however given Audi’s current life-cycle schedule, this is likely to take place only after 2024. Instead, Audi will begin production of the E-Tron crossover next year followed by two other EVs in the years to follow.
“We might not have been first to market but we will have the best EV on the market. It’s not going to be huge-volume from the beginning,” head of Audi UK, Andrew Doyle, added.
Fromm also noted that by 2040, with reference to France’s recently proposed bill to ban all fossil fuel engines, the brand would produce only electric vehicles for that market.
The new A8 will e available with a hybrid-electric drivetrain that makes use of Audi’s 3,0 TFSI and boasts an electric range of 50 km.
http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/new-audi-a8-will-not-go-full-ev/
FiestaST
Honorary Master
More Innovation than an S-Class? All-New Audi A8 Released
New Audi A8 Released
Rewind to the advent of the big, luxury saloon and copious amounts of expensive and shiny or woody materials was the order of the day. With more chrome than Brakpan and more wood than Hot House, you certainly knew who was boss, riding in the back of his supercharged Mercedes-Benz or winged Cadillac. The focus then shifted to turning the back of your mini-limo into a mirror image of your lounge, not the greatest idea in the velour-crazed 70’s where brown was considered to be chic. Sies. Say what you will, however, because despite the questionable taste and thirsty engines required to lug your lounge around, the segment continued to soldier on with executives flocking like sheep to the voluptuous comfort of their S-Classes, 7-Series’, LS’ and later on, Audi A8’s.
The S-Class was always the king of CoriCraft in your car, with a good smattering of safety and innovation to remain current, but it would seem, in recent years, that Audi has now taken the baton from Mercedes-Benz in the innovation race, with the segment now overtaking your living room as a whole, exhibiting more technology than you will ever need in the comfort of your home.
Take the previous generation Audi A8, for example, while it may have looked like an elongated A4, it was one of the first cars to feature a high-speed fibre-optic data network connecting multiple data processors and was also the first vehicle top feature a static adaptive front lighting system – in 2002! It also featured fingerprint recognition, snazzy pop-up B&O speakers in the dash and received adaptive cruise control in 2007. And if that wasn’t enough for you, you could even have it with a Lamborghini derived all-aluminium V10 in the form of the Audi S8.
The current generation features noise cancelling in the cabin, which obviously wowed the world, so if that was anything to go by, the all-new Audi A8, unveiled today at the Audi Summit, will take the fight straight to its competitors with some serious tech. We actually know this, already, with Audi saying that this new (D5) generation features artificial intelligence and is the first production car in the world to have been developed for “highly automated driving.” It also has matrix reading lights. Yes, you read that correctly – you can adjust the brightness, size and position of your reading light in the rear seat!
Another first for Audi, the new A8 features Audi AI active suspension which works in a similar way to Mercedes-Benz’s ABC (Active Body Control) making use of a forward facing camera to read the road ahead before increasing or reducing the load individually on all four of the wheels. In the event of a side impact, this system is also able to raise the body on the side of the impact by up to 80 mm within 0.5 seconds, thus exposing an even more resistant part of the body to the impact zone, clever…
Other notable features include Audi’s 48 v electrical system across the range – making all derivatives “mild hybrids”, capable of coasting along without the use of the combustion engine for up to 40 km. – active noise cancellation, 4-wheel steering and one of the most advanced lighting systems ever seen on a motor vehicle.
Powering the Audi A8 is a range of 6 powertrains, two 3.0-litre motors, a TDI (210 kW) and TFSI (250 kW), two 4.0-litre units, a TDI (320 kW) and TFSI (338 kW), a twin-turbocharged W12 unit in the A8 L (430 kW) and a plug-in-hybrid featuring the 3.0-litre TFSI unit and an electric motor, integrated into the gearbox with its own clutch, which produce a combined 330 kW and 700 N.m.
Audi A8 Pricing in South Africa
With no word yet on which derivatives we’ll be receiving, expect to see the all-new Audi A8 on South African roads within the next year or so with pricing likely to start just below R2 000 000.
http://www.themotorist.co.za/innovation-s-class-new-audi-a8-released/
New Audi A8 Released
Rewind to the advent of the big, luxury saloon and copious amounts of expensive and shiny or woody materials was the order of the day. With more chrome than Brakpan and more wood than Hot House, you certainly knew who was boss, riding in the back of his supercharged Mercedes-Benz or winged Cadillac. The focus then shifted to turning the back of your mini-limo into a mirror image of your lounge, not the greatest idea in the velour-crazed 70’s where brown was considered to be chic. Sies. Say what you will, however, because despite the questionable taste and thirsty engines required to lug your lounge around, the segment continued to soldier on with executives flocking like sheep to the voluptuous comfort of their S-Classes, 7-Series’, LS’ and later on, Audi A8’s.
The S-Class was always the king of CoriCraft in your car, with a good smattering of safety and innovation to remain current, but it would seem, in recent years, that Audi has now taken the baton from Mercedes-Benz in the innovation race, with the segment now overtaking your living room as a whole, exhibiting more technology than you will ever need in the comfort of your home.
Take the previous generation Audi A8, for example, while it may have looked like an elongated A4, it was one of the first cars to feature a high-speed fibre-optic data network connecting multiple data processors and was also the first vehicle top feature a static adaptive front lighting system – in 2002! It also featured fingerprint recognition, snazzy pop-up B&O speakers in the dash and received adaptive cruise control in 2007. And if that wasn’t enough for you, you could even have it with a Lamborghini derived all-aluminium V10 in the form of the Audi S8.
The current generation features noise cancelling in the cabin, which obviously wowed the world, so if that was anything to go by, the all-new Audi A8, unveiled today at the Audi Summit, will take the fight straight to its competitors with some serious tech. We actually know this, already, with Audi saying that this new (D5) generation features artificial intelligence and is the first production car in the world to have been developed for “highly automated driving.” It also has matrix reading lights. Yes, you read that correctly – you can adjust the brightness, size and position of your reading light in the rear seat!
Another first for Audi, the new A8 features Audi AI active suspension which works in a similar way to Mercedes-Benz’s ABC (Active Body Control) making use of a forward facing camera to read the road ahead before increasing or reducing the load individually on all four of the wheels. In the event of a side impact, this system is also able to raise the body on the side of the impact by up to 80 mm within 0.5 seconds, thus exposing an even more resistant part of the body to the impact zone, clever…
Other notable features include Audi’s 48 v electrical system across the range – making all derivatives “mild hybrids”, capable of coasting along without the use of the combustion engine for up to 40 km. – active noise cancellation, 4-wheel steering and one of the most advanced lighting systems ever seen on a motor vehicle.
Powering the Audi A8 is a range of 6 powertrains, two 3.0-litre motors, a TDI (210 kW) and TFSI (250 kW), two 4.0-litre units, a TDI (320 kW) and TFSI (338 kW), a twin-turbocharged W12 unit in the A8 L (430 kW) and a plug-in-hybrid featuring the 3.0-litre TFSI unit and an electric motor, integrated into the gearbox with its own clutch, which produce a combined 330 kW and 700 N.m.
Audi A8 Pricing in South Africa
With no word yet on which derivatives we’ll be receiving, expect to see the all-new Audi A8 on South African roads within the next year or so with pricing likely to start just below R2 000 000.
http://www.themotorist.co.za/innovation-s-class-new-audi-a8-released/
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Audi introduces new model naming system
New model designations will be linked to engine output rather than capacity
Audi is adopting a new naming structure across its range, in which model designations will be linked to power output rather than engine capacity.
The German firm says the move will allow future models to reflect the added performance delivered by electric-powered hybrid systems and/or pure electric powertrains, such as that being developed for the company’s 2018 E-tron SUV.
The new naming process groups together models on a scale that runs from 30 to 70, with 30 being models having a power output between 107bhp and 127bhp and 70 being reserved for models packing more than 529bhp.
The names increase in an increment of five depending on the output of any specific model. As an example, the Q2 1.6 TDI will become the Q2 30 TDI.
This initially creates eight new model designations:
- 30 for models with between 81 and 96kW (107 and 127bhp)
- 35 for models with between 110 and 120kW (145 and 159bhp)
- 40 for models with between 125 and 150kW (165 and 198bhp)
- 45 for models with between 169 and 185kW (223 and 244bhp)
- 50 for models with between 210 and 230kW (278 and 304bhp)
- 60 for models with between 320 and 340kW (423 and 449bhp)
- 70 for models with more than 400kW (529bhp)
The designation of each model is linked directly to the output of the driveline, irrespective of its layout. The new names will apply to all standard Audi models, meaning that petrol, diesel, natural gas, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrain models will be directly comparable.
Dietmar Voggenreiter, Audi's head of sales and marketing, said: “As alternative drive technologies become increasingly relevant, engine displacement as a performance attribute is becoming less important to our customers. The clarity and logic of structuring the designations according to power output makes it possible to distinguish between the various performance levels.”
The roll out of Audi’s new models is set to begin during the third quarter of 2017 with the new A8: the traditional 3.0 TDI diesel will become the 50 TDI, and the 3.0 TFSI petrol the 55 TFSI. The parameters of 55 models are yet to be confirmed.
The new Audi names will only apply to standard models, with S and RS models and the R8 retaining their classic names "in reference to their top position in the model range”.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/audi-introduces-new-model-naming-system
My thoughts:
New model designations will be linked to engine output rather than capacity
Audi is adopting a new naming structure across its range, in which model designations will be linked to power output rather than engine capacity.
The German firm says the move will allow future models to reflect the added performance delivered by electric-powered hybrid systems and/or pure electric powertrains, such as that being developed for the company’s 2018 E-tron SUV.
The new naming process groups together models on a scale that runs from 30 to 70, with 30 being models having a power output between 107bhp and 127bhp and 70 being reserved for models packing more than 529bhp.
The names increase in an increment of five depending on the output of any specific model. As an example, the Q2 1.6 TDI will become the Q2 30 TDI.
This initially creates eight new model designations:
- 30 for models with between 81 and 96kW (107 and 127bhp)
- 35 for models with between 110 and 120kW (145 and 159bhp)
- 40 for models with between 125 and 150kW (165 and 198bhp)
- 45 for models with between 169 and 185kW (223 and 244bhp)
- 50 for models with between 210 and 230kW (278 and 304bhp)
- 60 for models with between 320 and 340kW (423 and 449bhp)
- 70 for models with more than 400kW (529bhp)
The designation of each model is linked directly to the output of the driveline, irrespective of its layout. The new names will apply to all standard Audi models, meaning that petrol, diesel, natural gas, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrain models will be directly comparable.
Dietmar Voggenreiter, Audi's head of sales and marketing, said: “As alternative drive technologies become increasingly relevant, engine displacement as a performance attribute is becoming less important to our customers. The clarity and logic of structuring the designations according to power output makes it possible to distinguish between the various performance levels.”
The roll out of Audi’s new models is set to begin during the third quarter of 2017 with the new A8: the traditional 3.0 TDI diesel will become the 50 TDI, and the 3.0 TFSI petrol the 55 TFSI. The parameters of 55 models are yet to be confirmed.
The new Audi names will only apply to standard models, with S and RS models and the R8 retaining their classic names "in reference to their top position in the model range”.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/audi-introduces-new-model-naming-system
My thoughts:
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
Ah, so no-one wants to be seen to be driving a 1.6 Audi? Muppets.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
[video=youtube_share;gbbg0__wPSs]https://youtu.be/gbbg0__wPSs[/video]
FiestaST
Honorary Master
CarTell.tv quick review
[video=youtube_share;oTZchmYJ-Vg]https://youtu.be/oTZchmYJ-Vg[/video]
[video=youtube_share;oTZchmYJ-Vg]https://youtu.be/oTZchmYJ-Vg[/video]
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Audi takes lead in automated driving, others wary
Audi is taking a lead in bringing more automated driving to roads, but rivals seem in no rush to follow while legal and regulatory uncertainties still cloud the technology.
At the Frankfurt car show, Audi paraded the A8, which can drive itself under certain conditions, decide when to change lanes and does not always require drivers to monitor the road - though they must be ready to intervene at the sound of an alarm.
On a scale where zero is a fully manual car and five a fully autonomous one, the A8 is a level three, putting it ahead of level two features offered by Tesla and General Motors.
Struggling to emerge from the shadow of parent Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, Audi is badly in need of a new prestige model and a marketing coup.
"It's gratifying that we are able to set a positive sign for real 'Vorsprung durch Technik'," said research and development chief Peter Mertens, referring to Audi's advertising slogan meaning "advancement through technology".
But with special approval still required almost everywhere to drive such a car, and question marks over how quickly the driver has to take back control - and who is responsible during handover - some rivals are sceptical about whether the market is ready.
"Who will accept to pay for something that they can use only in extremely limited conditions?" asked Didier Leroy, European chairman of Japanese carmaker Toyota.
"The fact that Audi is introducing this one now doesn't mean that we will rush in the coming months to say that we are able to do it too. That is not our logic," he told Reuters at the car show.
Among the A8's new features is the "traffic jam pilot", which can completely control driving at up to 60km/h on a divided highway.
The German company expects customers will be able to use all the model's self-driving functions next year or in 2019. It is applying for approval country by country, starting with Germany, a spokesman said during the show.
Audi thus hopes to leapfrog Tesla, whose Autopilot technology suffered a major blow when a driver using it was killed in a crash, and GM, whose Super Cruise feature to be offered this autumn will allow limited hands-off driving at highway speeds on limited access roads like dual carriageways.
In the wake of the crash, Tesla said the driver was using Autopilot in conditions for which it was not intended, and US regulators said carmakers should take steps to make sure semi-autonomous systems are not misused.
Hands on the wheel
Regulatory regimes vary widely across the world and, in the United States, even from state to state, creating a headache for manufacturers. Some authorities would rather they held back.
"We're very concerned about the idea that drivers will be encouraged to pay even less attention than they already are and that manufacturers are rolling out these systems without existing federal standards," Linda Bailey, executive director of the US National Association of City Transportation Officials, told Reuters.
Florida, seen as the least restrictive state, has essentially legalised all forms of autonomous driving without the need for a permit or insurance requirements. New York, at the other end of the spectrum, has a law that demands drivers always have at least one hand on the wheel.
Michael Jellen, president of Velodyne, which develops lidar sensing technology that is used in autonomous cars, said the industry still had a long way to go.
"When they truly launch a hands-free, driver disengagement system, that's when we think (the industry) will have evolved," he said in an interview. "Today, when someone has their hands on the wheel and their foot ready to brake, I call that driving."
In Europe, Germany is the pioneer, having passed a law in May that legalises autonomous driving in principle as long as a licensed driver is behind the wheel - although approval still has to be sought for individual models.
German politicians hope to persuade the European Union to adopt common regulations to speed adoption of autonomous driving and prevent self-driving systems from having to switch themselves off or change parameters when they encounter national borders - so-called geofencing.
German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt hosted ministers from France and Luxembourg at the Frankfurt show on Thursday to establish a cross-border testing ground.
Grey zone
In an attempt to address one area of uncertainty, Audi says it will assume liability for any accidents that happen when its automated driving technology is in use. But it will come at a price, although Audi has not yet fixed premiums for level three technology.
Though level three, unlike level two, means theoretically the driver need no longer monitor the road while the car is in charge, the need to potentially jump in to take control limits the activities the driver can do when not in charge.
A risk is that drivers relax their guard too much.
"It sets an expectation to the driver that the computer is in control - that's what level three means. It means I can sit back and read a book," said Gartner analyst Mike Ramsey.
Autopilot features have long been used in aeroplanes, but the situation is very different there, where a pilot typically has plenty of time to react.
"It's very, very rare to face another plane coming just in front of you and just to react in two seconds to avoid a crash. In the car, it's possible," Toyota's Leroy said.
Even then, the hand-off from computer to pilot can be bungled, resulting in crashes such as an Asiana flight into San Francisco in 2013 that killed three people and injured scores.
Some question the worth of introducing level three at all at this stage.
Can the grey zone be overcome?
German automotive supplier Continental, with 1.2 billion euros in assisted driving component sales last year, said industry experts were questioning whether the grey zone in which neither the driver nor the car was clearly in control could be overcome.
"There is a discussion going on at the moment as to whether one shouldn't skip level three after implementing level two," Chief Executive Elmar Degenhart told Reuters at the show.
Bosch, the world's biggest automotive supplier, said it was seeing great demand for level three technology.
Yet at its presentation at the show, it did not talk about autonomous driving in general, but rather only particular applications to solve particular problems, such as an automated valet parking garage it has built with Mercedes maker Daimler in Stuttgart, which should go into service next year.
"Everything we do in driver assistance has a mass-market use," Bosch mobility chief Rolf Bulander said. "We're not interested in inventing things that will become reality only in a decade."
France's PSA Group, which is developing autonomous driving technology with partners for its future Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and DS vehicles, said there was still value in technology that needed human oversight and regular intervention - with the right framework of rules.
"It still allows you to send and receive emails or read, even while staying on the alert," programmes and strategy chief Patrice Lucas told Reuters. "The biggest hurdles are regulatory."
https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/indu...ead-in-automated-driving-others-wary-11264341
Audi is taking a lead in bringing more automated driving to roads, but rivals seem in no rush to follow while legal and regulatory uncertainties still cloud the technology.
At the Frankfurt car show, Audi paraded the A8, which can drive itself under certain conditions, decide when to change lanes and does not always require drivers to monitor the road - though they must be ready to intervene at the sound of an alarm.
On a scale where zero is a fully manual car and five a fully autonomous one, the A8 is a level three, putting it ahead of level two features offered by Tesla and General Motors.
Struggling to emerge from the shadow of parent Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, Audi is badly in need of a new prestige model and a marketing coup.
"It's gratifying that we are able to set a positive sign for real 'Vorsprung durch Technik'," said research and development chief Peter Mertens, referring to Audi's advertising slogan meaning "advancement through technology".
But with special approval still required almost everywhere to drive such a car, and question marks over how quickly the driver has to take back control - and who is responsible during handover - some rivals are sceptical about whether the market is ready.
"Who will accept to pay for something that they can use only in extremely limited conditions?" asked Didier Leroy, European chairman of Japanese carmaker Toyota.
"The fact that Audi is introducing this one now doesn't mean that we will rush in the coming months to say that we are able to do it too. That is not our logic," he told Reuters at the car show.
Among the A8's new features is the "traffic jam pilot", which can completely control driving at up to 60km/h on a divided highway.
The German company expects customers will be able to use all the model's self-driving functions next year or in 2019. It is applying for approval country by country, starting with Germany, a spokesman said during the show.
Audi thus hopes to leapfrog Tesla, whose Autopilot technology suffered a major blow when a driver using it was killed in a crash, and GM, whose Super Cruise feature to be offered this autumn will allow limited hands-off driving at highway speeds on limited access roads like dual carriageways.
In the wake of the crash, Tesla said the driver was using Autopilot in conditions for which it was not intended, and US regulators said carmakers should take steps to make sure semi-autonomous systems are not misused.
Hands on the wheel
Regulatory regimes vary widely across the world and, in the United States, even from state to state, creating a headache for manufacturers. Some authorities would rather they held back.
"We're very concerned about the idea that drivers will be encouraged to pay even less attention than they already are and that manufacturers are rolling out these systems without existing federal standards," Linda Bailey, executive director of the US National Association of City Transportation Officials, told Reuters.
Florida, seen as the least restrictive state, has essentially legalised all forms of autonomous driving without the need for a permit or insurance requirements. New York, at the other end of the spectrum, has a law that demands drivers always have at least one hand on the wheel.
Michael Jellen, president of Velodyne, which develops lidar sensing technology that is used in autonomous cars, said the industry still had a long way to go.
"When they truly launch a hands-free, driver disengagement system, that's when we think (the industry) will have evolved," he said in an interview. "Today, when someone has their hands on the wheel and their foot ready to brake, I call that driving."
In Europe, Germany is the pioneer, having passed a law in May that legalises autonomous driving in principle as long as a licensed driver is behind the wheel - although approval still has to be sought for individual models.
German politicians hope to persuade the European Union to adopt common regulations to speed adoption of autonomous driving and prevent self-driving systems from having to switch themselves off or change parameters when they encounter national borders - so-called geofencing.
German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt hosted ministers from France and Luxembourg at the Frankfurt show on Thursday to establish a cross-border testing ground.
Grey zone
In an attempt to address one area of uncertainty, Audi says it will assume liability for any accidents that happen when its automated driving technology is in use. But it will come at a price, although Audi has not yet fixed premiums for level three technology.
Though level three, unlike level two, means theoretically the driver need no longer monitor the road while the car is in charge, the need to potentially jump in to take control limits the activities the driver can do when not in charge.
A risk is that drivers relax their guard too much.
"It sets an expectation to the driver that the computer is in control - that's what level three means. It means I can sit back and read a book," said Gartner analyst Mike Ramsey.
Autopilot features have long been used in aeroplanes, but the situation is very different there, where a pilot typically has plenty of time to react.
"It's very, very rare to face another plane coming just in front of you and just to react in two seconds to avoid a crash. In the car, it's possible," Toyota's Leroy said.
Even then, the hand-off from computer to pilot can be bungled, resulting in crashes such as an Asiana flight into San Francisco in 2013 that killed three people and injured scores.
Some question the worth of introducing level three at all at this stage.
Can the grey zone be overcome?
German automotive supplier Continental, with 1.2 billion euros in assisted driving component sales last year, said industry experts were questioning whether the grey zone in which neither the driver nor the car was clearly in control could be overcome.
"There is a discussion going on at the moment as to whether one shouldn't skip level three after implementing level two," Chief Executive Elmar Degenhart told Reuters at the show.
Bosch, the world's biggest automotive supplier, said it was seeing great demand for level three technology.
Yet at its presentation at the show, it did not talk about autonomous driving in general, but rather only particular applications to solve particular problems, such as an automated valet parking garage it has built with Mercedes maker Daimler in Stuttgart, which should go into service next year.
"Everything we do in driver assistance has a mass-market use," Bosch mobility chief Rolf Bulander said. "We're not interested in inventing things that will become reality only in a decade."
France's PSA Group, which is developing autonomous driving technology with partners for its future Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and DS vehicles, said there was still value in technology that needed human oversight and regular intervention - with the right framework of rules.
"It still allows you to send and receive emails or read, even while staying on the alert," programmes and strategy chief Patrice Lucas told Reuters. "The biggest hurdles are regulatory."
https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/indu...ead-in-automated-driving-others-wary-11264341
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Watched Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tons of Audi product placement. New A8 featured as well.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Carwow review
[video=youtube_share;cNGtgYMeuS4]https://youtu.be/cNGtgYMeuS4[/video]
[video=youtube_share;cNGtgYMeuS4]https://youtu.be/cNGtgYMeuS4[/video]
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Audi A8 2017 review
Should I buy one?
Audi sold 177,566 cars in the UK last year and around 1600 of those sales were of its flagship model. Not a lot, then, but the A8’s significance as a brand builder earns it an extraordinary portion of the R&D budget, not least because of the competition it faces.
At £69,100, the base A8 50 TDI slots neatly into the gap between the £67,940 BMW 730d xDrive and Mercedes’ £72,205 S350d AMG Line. Performance between the three is roughly matched, but the Audi’s combined economy of 50.4mpg lags behind its compatriots by a fraction. This is unlikely to concern most buyers, who will care more about the car’s ability to isolate its occupants from the outside world and glide across the ground as if by magic. For the most part, this new A8 manages both with aplomb.
However, getting to the bottom of this car’s technological capabilities – on which so much of its appeal ultimately rests – will require the time and familiarisation that only a test on home soil can offer. We hope to undertake such an appraisal by the end of the year, but first impressions suggest Audi has delivered a car that’s intuitive to use and undemanding to drive, despite its enormous complexity and size.
Audi A8 50 TDI quattro
Where Valencia, Spain; On sale December; Price £69,100; Engine 2967cc, V6, turbocharged diesel; Power 282bhp at 3750-4000rpm; Torque 443lb ft at 1250-3250rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerbweight 1975kg; Top speed 155mph; 0-62mph 5.9sec; Fuel economy 50.4mpg; CO2 rating/BIK 145g/km,28%; Rivals BMW 730d xDrive, Mercedes-Benz S350d AMG Line
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/a8/first-drives/audi-a8-2017-review
Should I buy one?
Audi sold 177,566 cars in the UK last year and around 1600 of those sales were of its flagship model. Not a lot, then, but the A8’s significance as a brand builder earns it an extraordinary portion of the R&D budget, not least because of the competition it faces.
At £69,100, the base A8 50 TDI slots neatly into the gap between the £67,940 BMW 730d xDrive and Mercedes’ £72,205 S350d AMG Line. Performance between the three is roughly matched, but the Audi’s combined economy of 50.4mpg lags behind its compatriots by a fraction. This is unlikely to concern most buyers, who will care more about the car’s ability to isolate its occupants from the outside world and glide across the ground as if by magic. For the most part, this new A8 manages both with aplomb.
However, getting to the bottom of this car’s technological capabilities – on which so much of its appeal ultimately rests – will require the time and familiarisation that only a test on home soil can offer. We hope to undertake such an appraisal by the end of the year, but first impressions suggest Audi has delivered a car that’s intuitive to use and undemanding to drive, despite its enormous complexity and size.
Audi A8 50 TDI quattro
Where Valencia, Spain; On sale December; Price £69,100; Engine 2967cc, V6, turbocharged diesel; Power 282bhp at 3750-4000rpm; Torque 443lb ft at 1250-3250rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerbweight 1975kg; Top speed 155mph; 0-62mph 5.9sec; Fuel economy 50.4mpg; CO2 rating/BIK 145g/km,28%; Rivals BMW 730d xDrive, Mercedes-Benz S350d AMG Line
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/a8/first-drives/audi-a8-2017-review
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Shmee not a fan of the fake exhausts as well lol
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Shmee has a 50min (!) video
[video=youtube_share;KXXJE6yYhIM]https://youtu.be/KXXJE6yYhIM[/video]
[video=youtube_share;KXXJE6yYhIM]https://youtu.be/KXXJE6yYhIM[/video]