SPY PICS: Next-gen Audi A8

Audi's new A8 limousine has been caught on camera wearing a disguise on the roads of Germany.

Testing of the car's new technology appears to be going well: there's no sign the car has been involved in a crash.

The new Audi A8 is said to debut world-first technology that enables the car to brake in an emergency if for some reason the driver has forgotten to.

We only need to wait a few months to find out more; the new model is due to be unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January ahead of appearing in Australian showrooms in the second half of 2010.

As with the current model, the new Audi A8 has an all-alloy body and structure. Except the new one is said to be even lighter than the current car -- without sacrificing size or features. The current model weighs between 1945kg and 1995kg.

Indeed, as the flagship of the Audi range the new A8 will showcase the Ingolstadt maker's latest technology.

Currently, all new Audis equipped with radar cruise control abruptly jolt the brakes if the system senses the driver has not noticed that he or she is driving too close to the car in front.

First, there's an audible warning and if then the driver doesn't react, the system will jab the brakes momentarily to get your attention.

But all that is about to change, and Audi has developed that technology to the next level.

Audi's head of driver assistance systems, Frank van Meel, says its next generation radar will work across a greater variety of conditions.

Unlike Volvo's City Safety system, which brakes the car at speeds below 30km/h, the Audi system will work at all speeds -- but only if a crash is completely unavoidable.

Audi is yet to confirm which engines will be available but, as per the current model's release six years ago, the maker will likely introduce two flagship models -- a petrol and a diesel -- ahead of the arrival of more affordable versions in 2011.

-- with Carparazzi

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