Audi A8 production ends after four generations with no confirmed successor

Production of the Audi A8 has finished at the brand's Neckarsulm plant in Germany, ending a four-generation run for the large luxury sedan with no direct successor yet signed off.

The space the A8 once occupied has been handed to the Audi A5 sedan and wagon to expand their output, and the Q9 large SUV shown in July has become Audi's flagship model in the meantime.

A second A8 for the rest of the world

Outside China, Audi is reportedly preparing a separate A8 based on the Porsche-developed MSB platform, which is engineered for longitudinally mounted combustion engines and supports both rear- and all-wheel drive. That car would be closely related to the Porsche Panamera and built at Porsche's Leipzig factory, with petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains both possible on the architecture.

Whether the Porsche-based A8 gets the go-ahead is also unclear. The split would leave Audi with two quite different flagships for two very different markets: a purely electric sedan tailored to Chinese buyers and a combustion and hybrid large car for everyone else. That matters because the A8's traditional role, a global halo sedan, would effectively be divided in two, and neither half is confirmed.

Huawei's growing role with European brands

Huawei is reportedly also working with Maserati on an electric successor to the Quattroporte. If those reports are correct, the new Quattroporte could be closely related to the Maextro S800, with the body and drivetrain made in China and interior fitment and final production completed in Italy.

The A8's end leaves Audi without a direct contender in the large luxury sedan class for now, a segment where the brand once led with aluminium construction. Buyers in that market will find the Q9 SUV at the top of the range until a replacement sedan is confirmed.

Audi will sell the Nuvolari in the United States, priced from $700,000, with first deliveries scheduled for the second half of 2028. The confirmation comes about five months after the car premiered in Europe.

Global production is capped at 499 units, and 182 of them are earmarked for the US market. Audi has not yet said how those 182 cars will be allocated among buyers, so the selection process for American customers has not been announced.

The Nuvolari is the hybridised successor to the R8, and its price puts it well above the cars it will be compared with. At $700,000 it is roughly $100,000 more than a Lamborghini Revuelto and almost $150,000 beyond a Ferrari 849 Testarossa. It is almost double the base price of a Lamborghini Temerario. For reference, the limited-run Audi R8 V10 GT, the swan song for the old car's naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10, was priced at $253,290 in 2022.

That gap matters because the Nuvolari shares its engine with the Temerario, so American buyers are being asked to pay a substantial premium over the Lamborghini for the same basic powertrain architecture.

Powertrain and performance claims

The supercar uses the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 as the Temerario, paired with three axial flux electric motors for a combined 987 horsepower, which is 80 hp more than the Lamborghini. It also carries a larger 7.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack than the Temerario's 3.8-kWh unit.

Audi says the car reaches 60 mph (96 kph) in 2.5 seconds and can exceed 217 mph (350 kph). Those acceleration and top-speed figures are manufacturer claims rather than independently measured results.

Chassis, aero and standard equipment

Underneath, the Nuvolari is built on Audi's new Space Frame architecture with lightweight carbon fibre body panels. It has a three-stage adjustable rear wing, a DRS system and produces more than 880 lbs (400 kg) of downforce.

The all-wheel-drive system analyses acceleration, steering inputs and grip levels to adjust aerodynamic balance and torque distribution automatically. The car also has four-way adjustable suspension with adaptive compression and rebound, and carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as standard.

Given the price and the 499-car build, many owners are unlikely to take the car to a circuit, so the aero package may matter more as a statement of intent than as a weekend track tool.

Options and customisation

The $700,000 figure is a starting point, and the total will rise once buyers add options. Standard paint choices include more than 50 gloss finishes and 10 matte finishes, and Audi Exclusive offers custom colours, including exposed carbon fibre. Inside, there are 33 leather colours and three Dinamica fabric finishes, with bespoke colour and material work available through Audi Exclusive.

Australian availability and pricing have not been announced. The sources confirm the US allocation and price only, so buyers outside America, including in Australia, will need to wait for Audi's local confirmation.