Audi’s ultimate long-wheelbase luxury limousine, the Audi A8L W12, has been launched in Australia.

This flagship model sees the brand with the four-ring badge redefine the benchmark for dynamic performance in the upper-most automotive bracket thanks to its unique 6.0-litre W12 engine, class-leading quattro all-wheel drive, pioneering aluminium body, world-first technological advancements and the absolute ultimate level of luxury and quality.

Audi is the market leader in Western Europe for 12 and eight-cylinder vehicles, attaining this leading position in 2004, just three years after the launch of the first new A8 D3 model.

Audi’s managing director, Mr Joerg Hofmann, is justifiably proud to present this newest member of Audi’s already-impressive A8 range in Australia.

“The A8L W12 is a superb car. Its exterior design is sporty and confident, the quality of the interior is second-to-none and it is extremely impressive to drive,” Mr Hofmann said.

“This is a vehicle that will appeal to Australia’s opinion leaders. It carries all the hallmarks of the best car in the top-most market segment, and we firmly believe it is also the ultimate driver’s car.”

“The A8L W12 will be an exclusive car. It is not a volume car, but rather an icon for the brand, driven by a handful of Australia’s most discerning customers who can be assured that they are part of an intimate group of people who recognise its true nature and who have rewarded themselves in their purchase of such a spectacular vehicle,” Mr Hofmann added.

The A8L W12 is justified in laying claim to the description ‘most sporty luxury saloon car in the world’. With an engine capacity of 6.0-litres, 12 cylinders, 331 kW (450 bhp) and 580 Newton-metres of torque, dynamism is assured and even further benefited by the low weight of the vehicle body and its relatively light and very compact engine.

The A8L W12 quattro sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, and it accelerates from 0 to 200 km/h in a mere 17.4 seconds. A top speed of 250 km/h is electronically governed after scarcely 30 seconds.

The spontaneity of the six-litre engine is excellent, translating every adjustment of the throttle into acceleration. More than 95 percent of the engine's peak torque is available between 2,300 and 5,300 rpm, creating an ideal platform for supreme pulling power in every velocity range. The torque characteristic of this large-capacity naturally aspirated engine is without comparison.

The six-speed tiptronic transmission ensures that exactly the right amount of power is always available. The tiptronic gear gate allows the driver to intervene at any time and the Sport programme waits for higher engine speeds before shifting up, and shifts down sooner, allowing the full revving ability of the twelve-cylinder engine to be utilised.

In conjunction with the low weight of the aluminium body, built using the Audi Space Frame (ASF) principle, the engine and transmission turn in an excellent performance coupled with exemplary economy.

Audi's quattro permanent four-wheel drive remains unequalled in the luxury segment. It translates engine performance into superbly effective propulsion and lateral support. The aluminium chassis with air suspension as standard is a feature found only on the Audi A8, a system that delivers the right characteristic for every situation. Thanks to the continuously variable damper settings, the adaptive air suspension reduces body movements while optimising roadholding and ride comfort.

The A8L W12 is recognisable at first glance as the top model in the range. Its front end is distinguished by the new formal idiom of Audi design. Its central element is the striking single-frame radiator grille, the outer chrome ring of which surrounds the painted grey fins of the grille with horizontal chrome strips. The W12 badge provides a visual indication of the vehicle's potential.

The clear glass headlight covers visibly display the world-first technology that they protect within. The 12-cylinder A8 is the first car in the world that is equipped with the new front lighting technology of adaptive light with LED daytime driving lights, whose distinctive 5-star lighting elements also have a dual function as new design features for the vehicle's front end.

This revolutionary technology has a clear safety advantage in that the car is more easily spotted whatever the light conditions, as the use of daytime driving lights also has virtually no effect on fuel consumption. This advance has been made possible by the use of LED units, the energy consumption of which is only a fraction of that of conventional bulbs.

The interior affords an atmosphere of superb luxury. The top quality of the materials and finish, visible and palpable down to the smallest detail, perfectly complement the spaciousness and ergonomic excellence of the interior.

The driver and passengers alike are cocooned in the ultimate ambience, the style, exclusivity and functionality of which are remarkable, even in the luxury car segment.

Naturally, the level of standard equipment in this vehicle is exceptional. From its standard MMI system with DVD-based satellite navigation and a rear remote control, two in-car telephone handsets, fully-electrically-adjustable seats with massage function, sporty 12-spoke 19-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, adaptive front lighting with Xenon Plus headlights, acoustic parking with optical display, tyre pressure monitoring, DataDot microdot identification, to a ‘coolbox’ in the rear and servo-assisted ‘soft’ door closing, the A8L W12 offers unparalleled levels of equipment.

All these characteristics combine effortlessly to highlight the sheer technological calibre of this luxury saloon and – in conjunction with the superlative drivetrain and suspension – create an unique vehicle in the Audi A8L W12.

The A8L W12 is priced at $325,000.