Official: Next Audi A8 coming in 2010

It will be a very sad day for BMW when this comes out. Audi is already beating BMW in sales in Europe. BMW profits are down 90%. Audi has the wonderful R8, BMW has nothing. If this doesn't jump start sales for the A8, then nothing will. Maybe there is only room for 3 (LS/S-Class/7-Series) in the flagship class. The new A4 proves Audi can do it in Europe.

— DocMarten (View Profile)

Posted on 3/12/2009 4:29:43 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

I cannot wait, this is one of the cars I am waiting to see, the A8 is getting to be my favorite full sized sedan. I have been seeing quite a few over the last few months and they look better and better every time I see them. Not a lot of curves and creases, just simple understated luxury. The current S Class has been my favorite design for while but I think they should have done more with the refresh and it doesn't look as elegant to me as it used to.

— stone (View Profile)

Posted on 3/12/2009 4:39:29 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

Can't wait til this buries the 7 series!

— BJS470 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/12/2009 10:18:23 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Hey B7fan, this is just for you and your friend Whattedouche: Enjoy!

BMW results miss expectations, shares tumble

March 12, 2009 12:45 CET
BMW's headquarters in Munich, Germany
Photo credit: Reuters


FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- BMW AG, the world's largest premium carmaker, said today its earnings plunged in the fourth quarter, making its 2008 results miss market expectations and sending its shares down nearly 12 percent.

BMW said group earnings before interest and tax fell 78 percent to 921 million euros ($1.18 billion), well below the average estimate of 1.54 billion euros in a Reuters poll of 20 analysts.

BMW proposed cutting its 2008 dividend on common stock to 0.30 euros from 1.06 euros after taking a writedown of 1.06 billion euros for the reduced value of cars coming off leases and for bad debts.

Its shares pared losses to trade down 8.3 percent at 21.04 euros by 1028 GMT while the DJ Stoxx European car sector index was off 3 percent.

Demand for BMW's sporty models like the Z4 roadster withered in the last quarter of 2008, forcing the company to reveal a decline of 4.3 percent in group sales volumes last year -- its first annual drop since 1993.

Much like rival Mercedes-Benz, BMW has thrived from the debt-fueled consumerism in markets like the United States where they aggressively pushed volumes for years with attractively priced leasing deals that cost the carmaker just over 1 billion euros through the end of September alone.

Analysts are now re-evaluating previous assumptions regarding the premium market's true potential, after the worst excesses of easy credit have come to a screeching halt.

In addition, increasingly stringent emission requirements are putting a massive strain on R&D budgets for Mercedes and BMW and forcing the carmakers to replace heavier engines that earn fatter margins with downsized motors.

— VISO (View Profile)

Posted on 3/12/2009 10:49:08 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

In the meantime:

Overall, Audi increased profit before tax by some 9 percent to almost EUR 3.2 billion.

The success achieved in 2008 is also reflected in Audi’s key financial ratios.

In 2008 we pushed the operating return on sales up even further from 8.0 to 8.1 percent.

The return on sales before tax rose even more steeply by 0.6 percentage points to 9.3 percent.

The further rise in the return on investment in a substantially more difficult economic environment is a testimony to Audi’s intrinsic strength.

With this ratio reaching 19.8 percent, Audi is one of the most profitable businesses in the international car industry.

— VISO (View Profile)

Posted on 3/12/2009 10:52:23 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

And we are not cutting back on our R&D with a renewed commitment of 2 billions euros per year for new product development, and there is no hiring freeze at Audi AG as they are planning to hire 300 permanent employees and up to 400 temp workers...

— 1evlaudi (View Profile)

Posted on 3/12/2009 11:26:32 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

The A8 has always been my favorite car from Audi. I liked the previous generation A8 but the current one is one of the most classy and conservative looks to come out of Germany after the S-Class. The next generation will be sweet!.

— Agent63 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/13/2009 12:03:16 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

"One thing is for sure: the new A8 will not feature a hybrid drive".
Is it official? If not i think most probably A8 will have hybrid variant, maybe the one from Q7 hybrid(upcoming), and also to be competent as other three, Lexus(already has), MB and BMW are soon going to have it.

JUGNU

— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 3/13/2009 5:51:24 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Passing thoughts.

Do people actually spend megabucks for a luxury sedan just because it's more economical that another brand? If someone's truely concerned about fuel economy why not just buy an econobox?

I haven't seen the new S-class MB but the Maybach is at a different level of fit and finish. Just because it may look similar doesn't put it in the same league.

All this concern about whether BMW or Audi or MB or Brand X is better is just silly. They all make nice cars so just drive what you like the most.

— Eyecarehawaii (View Profile)

Posted on 3/19/2009 6:27:17 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Stop-start technology is for the birds. It introduces an additional reliability issue as constantly stopping and starting will wear out the starter motor prematurely. Repairs will then outweigh any fuel saved. The driver always has the option to turn off the engine manually if long waits in still traffic are anticipated.

— EnnNorak (View Profile)

Posted on 4/23/2009 7:56:49 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1