Audi can't upgrade A8 to Level 3 autonomous driving

The Audi A9 sedan is the flagship vehicle for the German brand. Photo: Audi

Audi has abandoned plans to introduce its Level 3, eyes-off autonomous driving technology in its A8 flagship sedan, a senior executive told Automotive News Europe.

The feature, called Traffic Jam Pilot, was the most significant technological breakthrough added to the latest-generation A8 that debuted in 2017.

At that time Audi said the system would only be activated in markets where governments allowed it.

Since then, global regulators in Geneva have not agreed on an approval process for Level 3 functionality. At that level a vehicle can be put in auto pilot under certain circumstances, allowing the driver to take their eyes off the road.

Audi initially planned for Traffic Jam Pilot to have restricted functionality, only capable of use on motorways separated from oncoming traffic at speeds of up to 60km/h. 

Drivers would no longer be responsible at all for operating the vehicle during periods of heavy, stop-and-go traffic, leaving them free to read, stream a movie or play video games as the vehicle drove itself.

All current systems on the market such as Tesla’s Autopilot are Level 2. This means they are able to steer themselves, but require the driver to monitor the surroundings constantly and be prepared at a moment’s notice to assume control. Liability remains with the driver.

The restriction of Level 3 means that next year’s facelift A8 won’t get the system.

Audi had expected the A8 would be the first production car to have the eyes-off conditional autonomy available to private customers.

This could see its German rivals launch Level 3 or higher systems in the new-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan or BMW’s iNEXT crossover.

The issue with Traffic Jam Pilot was that when it was operating, liability would automatically transfer liability in the event of an accident from the driver to the manufacturer.

If a customer didn’t service the vehicle correctly, Audi would still be liable, sources told Automotive News Europe.