The A8 L Security version meets the strictest guidelines in force for civilian vehicles, with a host of special security features available in addition to its heavy armoring. Audi offers the A8 L Security with a 500 hp W12 engine and a 420 hp 4.0 TFSI. Prices start from $600,000 depending on equipment. Audi is introducing a new, exclusive model to the Middle East – the A8 L Security. The long-wheelbase high-security version of the A8 meets the strictest guidelines in force for civilian vehicles, with a host of special security features available in addition to its heavy armoring. The vehicle was on display at the recent International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Audi offers the A8 L Security with a 500 hp W12 engine and a 420 hp 4.0 TFSI. Prices start from $600,000 depending on equipment (GCC). At 5.27 meters in length, the Audi A8 L Security is a large, representative luxury sedan, hardly distinguishable to the eye from the production version - a totally integrated concept far superior to any retrofit solution currently available on the market. Roughly 450 hours of work go into the making of the armored luxury sedan. The A8 L Security has been officially certified by a German-government ballistics testing facility for compliance with the class VR 7 ballistic protection standard (tested as per BRV 2009 guidelines). The abbreviation BRV stands for Bullet Resistant Vehicles. The car's resistance to explosions was tested as per ERV 2010 guidelines (ERV = Explosion Resistant Vehicles). Class VR 7 ballistic protection imposes the strictest standards on civilian high-security sedans. The sheet metal and glazing in the passenger cell must withstand firing with NATO hard-core ammunition. In certain areas, the armoring on the Audi A8 L Security even complies with the criteria for class VR 9 and VR 10. The Audi A8 L Security is capable of withstanding an attack with a military hand grenade. Even an explosive charge defined from the test program does not pose a lethal threat to passengers, as demonstrated by measurements taken during testing on dummies. For A8 L Security customers, a multitude of special options are available for enhanced security. Among these is the emergency exit system with pyrotechnical separating screws in the hinges that detach the door from the body, a technology patented by Audi. Another security feature is the fire extinguisher system, which is activated via heat sensors or by pushing a button and sprays the extinguishing agent into the wheel arches, onto the underfloor, tank, and into the engine compartment. The emergency fresh-air system operates with two oxygen cartridges. The supply lasts long enough for the car to pass through a danger zone or get out of a danger zone it is currently in. Yet another option is what Audi calls security start – a feature that allows the driver to start the engine remotely via a radio signal. Numerous additional solutions round out the offering: a smoke extractor for the passenger compartment, an LED signaling system for convoy travel, flashing lights, a siren, a preparation for professional mobile radio systems, a flag holder, a permanently installed telephone, an accident data recorder, an additional rearview camera and a heated windshield plus partially heated side windows. – SG
