The all-new 2018 Audi A8 was finally revealed this past
Tuesday at the Audi Summit in Barcelona, loaded with technological innovations
and sweet new features.
The new A8 will be the first car released with Level 3
autonomous driving, aka, Audi AI Traffic Jam Pilot. That means this Audi will be
capable of driving all by itself at speeds up to 37 miles per hour via a
combination of lidar, a forward-facing camera, radar, and sonar. The system
will only work on highways with a physical barrier between traffic lanes, and
will have set limits on capabilities depending on the national/state laws.
The traffic jam pilot manages starting, accelerating,
steering and braking. The driver no longer needs to monitor the car
permanently. They can take their hands off the steering wheel permanently and, depending
on the laws, perform a different activity that is supported by the car, such as
watching the on-board TV.
The new A8 will also be equipped with Audi AI Remote Parking
and AI Remote Garage Pilot, which allow owners to use a remote or smartphone to
activate a mode that autonomously steers the A8 in and out of a parking space
or a garage. The phone app even lets owners watch the car park itself via the
A8's 360-degree cameras.
The best development thus far is the optional ‘relaxation
seat’, an addition that allows a passenger to warm and massage the soles of
their feet. The rear passenger can control ambient lighting, seat massage settings,
and their private phone via a separate operating unit.
