The A8 resembles a lavish, spacious lounge. A reduced design was chosen for the interior, with the instrument panel largely devoid of buttons and switches. At the center of the new operating concept is a 10.1-inch touchscreen display that, when off, blends almost invisibly into the high-gloss black bezel of the instrument panel thanks to its black-panel look. When the system is started, the user interface featuring new, concise graphics appears.

With a resolution of 1,540 x 720 pixels, the now gently curved TFT screen provides very sharp images and high contrast, even when viewed from an angle. The menu structure is intuitive and flat, like with a modern smartphone.

The driver controls the infotainment system with fingertip control on the large display. They can use a second touchscreen display on the center tunnel console to access the air conditioning and comfort functions as well as to enter text. When the driver activates a function in the upper or lower display, they hear and feel a click by way of confirmation. The combination of acoustic and tactile feedback along with the use of common touch gestures such as swiping make the new MMI touch response especially safe, intuitive and quick to use.

On top of that, the new, natural speech control turns the A8 into an intelligent conversationalist. The driver can freely formulate commands. The clever dialogue manager asks questions, if necessary, allows corrections, offers choices and also accepts being interrupted. Information on destinations and media is either available on board or is delivered from the cloud at LTE speed. The extensively optimized navigation is another new feature: It is self-learning, based on the routes driven previously. This provides the driver with intelligent search suggestions. The map also incorporates highly detailed 3D models of major European cities for a more realistic representation.

The latest version of the Modular Infotainment Platform, the MIB 2+, serves as the control hub for all these functions. It integrates a cutting-edge K1 processor by the Audi venture partner NVIDIA. A second K1 chip generates the graphics on the Audi virtual cockpit, which as the digital instrument cluster offers a full HD resolution of 1,920 x 720 pixels.

And the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System delivers a new spatial experience by bringing its fascinating 3D sound to the rear seats for the first time. It is matched by a new standard of telephony in the A8 thanks to Audi phone box and Voice over LTE – a standard the user will experience both in operation and in the sound and connection quality.

The classiest seat in the Audi flagship model is in the rear right – the optional relaxation seat in the A8 L that comes with four different adjustment options and a footrest. In this seat, the passenger can warm and massage the soles of their feet on a unit with multiple settings incorporated into the back of the front-passenger seat. The rear passengers can also control an array of functions such as ambient lighting, the new HD Matrix reading lights and seat massage, plus make private phone calls, via a separate operating unit. The rear seat remote, with its OLED display as large as a smartphone, is a removable unit housed in the center armrest.