In 1982, Ferdinand Piëch signed an agreement with Aluminum Company of America.

The objective
was to design and develop a car that would be substantially lighter than any other vehicles in its class
(to compensate for the fact that standard all-wheel drive was around 100 kg (220 lb) heavier than
competitors' rear-wheel drive). In the late 1980s, it was decided that the target vehicle would be a
successor to the V8 (Typ 4C) flagship introduced in 1988. By 1990, a final design by Chris Bird and
Dirk van Braeckel was chosen and frozen for series production in mid-1991. In September 1993, the
Audi Space Frame (ASF) Concept was unveiled at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) as a D2 Typ
4D prototype in polished aluminum. Pilot production began in December 1993 and development
ended in early 1994, at a total cost of $700 million (£418.1 million).[6]

Introduction

The Audi A8 (Typ 4D) was presented in February 1994 and debuted at the 1994 Geneva Auto Show
in March, with full-scale factory production commencing in June 1994,[3][clarification needed] although it was
not until October 1996, for the 1997 model year that it became available in North America. Unlike its
predecessor, the Audi V8 model, which was built on an existing steel platform, the A8 debuted on the
then-new Volkswagen Group D2 platform, an all aluminium monocoque, marketed as the "Audi
Space Frame" (ASF), which helped to reduce weight and preserve structural rigidity. The
saloon/sedan was offered in both the A8 (standard wheelbase), and the A8 L extended or long-
wheelbase (LWB) version. The A8 L adds 5 inches (127 mm) of rear legroom. Updates to the car in
1997 included the addition of six interior airbags.[7][8][9] The A8 was designed as a competitor to fellow
German rivals Mercedes Benz S Class and the BMW 7 Series.

Pre-facelift Audi A8 4.2 quattro

Facelift Audi A8 L 4.2 quattro (US)

First series production Audi with W12 engine

In 1997, Audi introduced the first series production electronic stability control (ESP) for all-wheel
drive vehicles (Audi A8 and Audi A6)– the world's first production cars with both front and rear side
airbags.