18:42 10-05-2026
Old school against the new wave: how the Audi A8 lost ground to the 7 Series
The refreshed BMW 7 Series outpaces the aging Audi A8 on tech, powertrains and sales. A market positioning breakdown.
The BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8 now look like cars from different eras. The G70-generation 7 Series launched in 2022 and has already received a substantial update for the 2027 model year. The D5-generation Audi A8 has been on sale since 2017, and its last major restyling came back in 2022.
The gap is obvious at first glance. BMW has become even more striking: a redesigned grille, narrow headlights, new tail lights and the option of a custom two-tone paint job. The Audi A8 looks more restrained and quieter against this backdrop. For some buyers that’s a plus, but the model’s age is hard to hide.
On the technical side BMW has pulled further ahead. The 7 Series offers gasoline versions, the 750e xDrive plug-in hybrid with 483 hp, and the all-electric i7 50 xDrive and i7 60 xDrive. In the US the Audi A8 is left with gasoline variants only. The base BMW 740 now puts out 394 hp and 540 Nm, while the Audi A8 L 55 TFSI delivers 335 hp and 500 Nm. The BMW 740 xDrive hits 97 km/h in under 5 seconds; the Audi takes 5.6.
Inside, the gulf is even wider. The Audi sticks with a familiar layout: a 10.1-inch screen, a separate climate display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. It’s all well executed and intuitive, but no longer fresh. BMW counters with a 17.9-inch central display, a 14.6-inch passenger screen and the Panoramic Vision system in place of a conventional instrument panel.
Sales tell the same story. In the first quarter of 2026 the US saw 201 Audi A8s sold against 2,260 BMW 7 Series. The A8 was down 43% year on year, the BMW down 11.6%.
The Audi A8 can still appeal to anyone who wants a quiet, understated executive sedan that doesn’t shout. But the market has moved on: buyers increasingly expect a hybrid, an EV variant, big screens and fresh design. The A8 is still leaning on classic luxury, while BMW is already selling the future — loud, divisive, but far harder to ignore.