The weather was misty and cold, the road surfaces greasy and treacherous. We drove the car on the passes and in open country, at high speed and, it performed faultlessly.
 
The new A8 D4 (launched in late 2009 in Europe) carries the heritage of Audi’s flagship  and its predecessor D3, star of the Transporter movies in the hands of Jason Statham. It offers prestige and obvious presence, and yet is sporty and agile - as I can attest - having driven it at almost 230km/h on country roads. 
 
The new car has  a well sculpted profile - the roof flows into the body and the rear-end is patently coupe. It features a long hood and pronounced shoulder line, is slightly more angular that the earlier model, and bigger all round.
 
Audi are aiming the A8 at 12,5% of the premium sports saloon market for 2010 and 15% for 2011. This car is good enough to achieve such penetration.