Audi is reportedly considering a luxury flagship to step up to the big leagues of sedan grandeur. The vehicle would battle Mercedes-Maybach, Rolls Royce, Bentley, and other luxury kingpins.
Revelations about consumer demand within the automotive industry often come on the heels of ?risky? vehicle projects. Cross coupes weren?t a thing before BMW formed the X6, and now there are several versions from both luxury and mainstream automakers. Four-door coupes became equally popular after Mercedes-Benz introduced the CLS.
While the highest tiers of luxury automotive manufacturing have always drawn the attention of the uber-rich, only recently have luxury automakers had something to dangle in front of new-money buyers. The trend was triggered by Mercedes-Maybach when the flagship S Class was introduced last year, and now both BMW and Audi are eyeing sub-$200,000 competitor sedans. Auto Express is reporting that Audi is considering a new model or variant to slot above the A8 L to directly challenge the Maybach and Pullman.
?The success of the extra-long version of the S-Class has got us wondering about whether there could be a business case for that in the future,? said Audi technical development head Stefan Knirsch.
Though the A8 L is a very refined luxury vehicle, and offers plenty of rear-occupant room in the long wheelbase version, there?s plenty of room to go grand. Recently, the German automaker introduced the A8 L Extended, a one-off limousine version of the estate car for a...