Audi A8 3.0 New six-cylinder sports model
Audi is expanding its A8 luxury sports saloon range with a fourth engine option. The 3.0 six-cylinder engine car is now available with front-wheel drive and with "multitronic" continuously variable automatic transmission. It is the only large luxury car to have this option. Thanks to the lightweight aluminium body, the 162 kW (220 hp) V6 engine accelerates the A8 from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds; its maximum speed is 242 km/h. For the first time too, the new engine is available with either the normal or the long-wheelbase A8 body.

Even the first A8 model generation was available with a smooth-running, powerful V6 engine. Thanks to systematic weight-saving design strategy, even the version with nominally the smallest petrol engine delivered performance worthy of a luxury car; the 174 hp 2.8-litre V6's fuel consumption, on the other hand, was as modest as that of a midsize car.

The new Audi A8 3.0 puts even stronger emphasis on these qualities. The aluminium V6 with five-valve cylinder head has a capacity of 2,976 cc and delivers 162 kW (220 hp) at 6,300 rpm. Maximum torque of 300 Nm is reached at 3,200 rpm. On this engine, the high power output is allied to very moderate fuel consumption. The front-wheel drive A8 3.0 multitronic consumes only 9.6 litres of premium-grade petrol per 100 kilometres.

The engine's supreme character is also obvious to the listener, thanks to its carefully 'composed' sports sound, and the engine compartment design, a clear improvement on those that conceal the engine beneath a plastic cover, is a visible expression of the technical sophistication of Audi engines.

Exhaust emission control is by way of two metal-monolith two-stage catalytic converters installed close to the engine in the underfloor area. With these, the
3.0 V6 engine complies with the stringent EU4 exhaust emission standard in all A8 models.

The "multitronic"continuously variable automatic transmission benefits from the optimum engine power output and economy potential that would be expected of a manual-gearbox car, but with all the convenience of a classic torque-converter automatic transmission. The unique refinement offered by this unit: you experience no jerky shifts whatsoever in the A8 3.0 multitronic thanks to its continuously variable gear ratio.

The new A8's standard air-spring suspension with shock absorber control "adaptive air suspension" and the innovative MMI operating concept are of course also standard on the A8 3.0 versions.

In Germany, the front-wheel drive A8 3.0 multitronic costs €59,800, with the long-wheelbase version starting at €66,200. Orders are now being accepted, and the first cars will probably be delivered in Germany in the 3rd quarter of 2003.