Audi has just unveiled its brand-new A8 luxury saloon car and along with a dizzying amount of gadgets the car has one very special trick up its sleeve.
This is the world’s first Level 3 autonomous car which means that should you get stuck in a traffic jam, this car can drive itself.
Called AI Traffic Jam Pilot, a simple press of a button and the car will officially become self-driving, letting you check up on Instagram, watch TV or catch up on work emails.
If that sounds like quite a leap from simply keeping a car within two lines then it really is. Level 3 autonomy essentially means that the driver can turn their full attention away from driving, instead letting the car take full control.
The A8 has a vast array of sensors dotted around it, which along with NVIDIA’s custom-built computer allows the car to create a model of the world around it at the staggering rate of 2.5 billion inputs per second.
In addition to self-driving on the roads, the A8 also features Audi AI remote parking pilot. At the press of a button on the companion app, the car will either park itself in your garage or pull out ready to be driven off, all without the driver needing to be inside the car.
Of course it wasn’t just the exterior technology that was given an overhaul, Audi’s new interior is likely to make even a Tesla owner green with jealousy.
A 10.1-inch centre console touchscreen lets you navigate all of the car’s primary functions. When a user presses on the display they’ll both hear and feel a click that mimics a physical button.
A secondary display below it then allows access to the car’s comfort settings including AC, seat warmers and more.
Finally there’s Audi’s signature Digital Cockpit that replaces the driver’s analogue speedometer with a completely digital screen.
For those that like to be driven around there’s a complete rear-entertainment system that contains two touchscreen tablets, an OLED display remote control and seats that can recline so you can get an all important nap between meetings.
Audi’s new A8 will be available in the later half of 2017 and while pricing isn’t yet confirmed this is the company’s flagship car so we’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t start at £80,000 or more.