Audi has quietly ended orders for the A8 in Germany after months of speculation about the future of the iconic sedan.
The information was confirmed by Audi itself to the website Motor 1, which had noticed that the sedan was no longer available for purchase on the manufacturer’s official website in Germany. Apparently, orders were closed last month, on February 18.
When asked about the future of the A8 in the global market, Marcel Bestle told Motor 1 that it depends on available inventory, which suggests that production may also end soon, although there is no precise date yet.
The D5 generation of the A8, launched in 2017, was already starting to show its age. The model received an update for 2021, but the changes were not enough to attract new buyers away from the 7 Series from BMW or the S-Class from Mercedes-Benz.
The update also introduced a longer version for China that revived the historic “Horch” name to compete with the Maybach S-Class from Mercedes, but it seems those efforts were also in vain.
Although the future of the A8 remains uncertain, Bestle told Motor 1 that the company “will communicate more details about a possible successor at a later date.” Despite Bestle’s statement, the word “possible” raises doubts about whether the project is moving forward.
However, it is worth remembering that in October last year the German publication Automobilwoche learned from an Audi spokesperson that the company was “looking for a platform for a possible successor,” considering that strict emissions regulations established in Europe prevented another update for the current A8.
Photos: Audi. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
