2016 Audi A8L Extended Length – Six-Door, Six-Seat Megalux Limo



What a freaky machine to find in your inbox on a bright Monday morning!

A jumbo A8L with six doors, giant glass moonroof and six giant seats.

While jaded about the car and what it stands for, we can’t help but like the way the cabin turned out.  The three rows of seats are slightly more functional than the Maybach Pullman, which has two rear-facing seats in its limo compartment’s midsection.  This A8L Extended has more practicality and comfort for all its riders, but much less throne-like legroom for the money seats in the wayback.

The 2016 Audi A8L Extended is a one-off custom order, and will not enter series production.  It is a strong sign of things to come, however, from Audi in the limo business. And it is something only the factory team can do with flawless execution.  Why?  The A8’s aluminum spaceframe makes a typical stretch — cutting and extending the frame rails — a non-starter.

Now, the only question is… who ordered this?

Audi is not saying.  The lack of armor on this first example probably means it is not for any of our favorite Merkels, Salmans or Putins.  We’d wager this car is heading east. Far east.  Uncle Xi or 1MDB, perhaps.

We still strongly feel the A8 is the worst executive saloon on the market: it is tiny inside and in the trunk.  What purpose, limo, if not scale?   Also, aluminum cars are inherently a terrible choice for ballistics protection.  High-powered shots go through aluminum like a knife through warm butter.

Design-wise, the A8Le will have no trouble blending in with normal traffic.  A deep window tint would be helpful at staying private in back, though, versus these Pope-mobile viewing windows.

 

2016 Audi A8L Extended

Representative unique specimen: Audi A8 L extended 

  • Premium manufacturer develops and builds 6.36-meter (20.9 ft) sedan to special customer order
  • One-off specimen meets same standards as production model
  • Comfortable and spacious seating for six 

Audi puts the customer first, however out of the ordinary their requirements may be. An example of this is the Audi A8*: at the request of a European customer the premium brand has built a first one-off version of the sedan in king-size format. Measuring 6.36 meters (20.9 ft) in length and with a wheelbase of 4.22 meters (13.8 ft), the A8 L extended* affords top-class comfort for passengers occupying all of its six seats. A concept that generates customer: Audi has further requests for the custom product already.