Audi Goes Techie with 2011 A8

As society becomes increasingly technology driven, everything must be able to plug into the new tech, including our rides. Audi’s 2011 A8 recently made a big splash at Design Week in Miami and it wasn’t hard to see why. The A8 is sporting the nice clean lines and elegance that one expects from an Audi. The body, an “aluminum Audi Space Frame” is super lightweight but incredibly strong. It weighs about 40 percent less than a car with made of steel.  I can go on and on about the looks and transmission and my need to caress, fondle, just touch this car. However I’m a professional and this is Black Web 2.o so on to the tech.

Ah the tech, Audi has chocked the A8 with wall to wall tech goodness. Let’s start at the lights. The A8 comes with optional full LED headlights that make use of light-emitting diodes. It’s a small blip on the tech radar by itself, but combined with the optional Multi Media Interface (MMI) navigation unit its a really cool feature. The lights work in tandem with the nav system, pointing in the direction of the next turn before the wheel even begin to turn, which adds another level of safety to nighttime driving. There’s also night vision assist that marks detected pedestrians as well as a pre sense safety system that alerts drivers if they’re drifting out of their and offers blind-spot detection.

The regular features of the MMI have undergone some serious upgrades as well.  The coolest of which has to be the new handwriting recognition technology. Using the navigation system as a touchpad drivers can write out the address of their location and the computer will recognize and enter it numbers and all. It includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic character support so everyone can get in on the handwriting fun. The pad is located in a place where a driver can blind write, meaning they can instinctively write out the address without ever taking their eyes off the road.

The MMI is also hooked into to the transmission. When using the the navigation system the route is transmitted to the transmission warning it of upcoming turns. The transmission responds in kind, factoring “corners into its gearshift strategy and avoid unnecessary, fuel-sapping gear changes.” MMI can also store phone numbers and audio tracks. When it’s time to dial a number or play a song, simply write out the number or words and voila!

The A8 can also be equipped with GPRS so the car can constantly be updated with news and weather information from Google. It also lets drivers plot a course from their home computer and let them download it to the nav system before the trip. “During 2010, the system will also be upgraded with a UMTS module which will enable Google Earth images to be beamed to the MMI monitor in 3D for navigation purposes. Eventually, full internet connection via UMTS will be possible, making the A8 a mobile WLAN hotspot.”

With an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission, and an acceleration rate of 0-100kph in a respectable 5.7 seconds, the 2011 Audi A8 is a serious C.I.L.D (Car I’d Like to Drive).