Reports are coming in that an all-electric executive saloon is coming to the Audi lineup in 2024 to replace the A8 model at the pinnacle.
It may not match the stats of the “grandsphere” concept revealed two years ago (you can find it in the gallery and the video here). Back when it debuted, the grandsphere was officially introduced as the basis for the next A8.
If we had to speculate, we would say that this next flagship would at least have to be considerably more powerful than the gas-powered RS 6 Avant performance wagon with its 4.0-liter V8 making 630 PS (621 hp / 463 kW) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque. It would also need to surpass the RS e-tron GT 4-Door Coupe with its dual motors making 646 PS (637 hp / 475 kW) and 830 Nm (612 lb-ft) of torque.
The Audi grandsphere Concept had 721 PS (711 hp / 530 kW) and 960 Nm (708 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal when it was introduced. Coming close to these specifications would put the alleged A8 EV on the same level with the BMW i7 M70 and the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53. It would also be able to sprint 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in less than four seconds.
Audi Head of Design, Marc Lichte, confirmed at the beginning of the year that the production car the company was working on had grandsphere-inspired looks and was based on the PPE platform Audi had been co-designing with Porsche for several years. As such, the A8 EV should get an 800V power architecture with an option for 270kW rapid charging and a Level 4 self-driving system.