Audi Adds A8 TDI Diesel To U.S. Lineup

Audi will offer an A8 diesel sedan later this year, the company announced at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit.  The Ingoldstadt-based automaker also announced a supercharged V-6 petrol model, the A8 3.0T.

The 2013 Audi A8 TDI will come with the turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 that develops 225 hp and 406 pound-feet of torque in the Audi Q7.

The A8 will become the second full-sized luxury sedan available in the U.S., alongside the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTec, and leaves BMW as the only premium German automaker without a full-sized diesel sedan.

The A8 diesel will have similar standard and optional equipment to the current V-8 powered A8 4.2, which starts at $78,750.  The Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTec starts at $92,550.

EPA fuel economy for the S-Klasse is 20 mpg (11.76 l/100 km) in the city and 31 mpg (7.58 l/100 km) on the highway.

It will be interesting to see what the EPA rating for the Audi A8 TDI will be. In the EU cycle, the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTec sold in Germany used 10.1 l/100 km (23.28 mpg) in the city and 5.9 l/100 km (39.86 mpg) on the highway.  The German Audi A8 TDI used 7.4 l/100 km (31.78 mpg) in the city and 6.0 l/100 km (39.2 mpg) on the highway. While the two cars are comparable in highway fuel economy, the Audi used roughly 25% less fuel in town.

Start-stop technology will be standard on the new Audi diesel and it will be available with the optional Audi connect infotainment system which incorporates Google Earth maps and real-time SiriusXM traffic information, localized weather, news, real-time fuel prices, Google Local Search, support for Google Send to Car via the myAudi Destination feature, and an in-vehicle hotspot that supports up to eight Wi-Fi devices.