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A8 Audi Exclusive Concept shows off brand's interior chops

It's an envious position to be in, not wanting a normal Audi A8 but not wanting to make the statement that comes with a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce. What's an oligarch to do? Well, if you have the funds, consider the A8 Audi Exclusive Concept (yes, that's the actual name), a modified A8L W12 that's limited to just 50 units and features a significantly upgraded interior. Think of it as a followup to the A8 Exclusive Concept, shown at Frankfurt in 2011.
Aniline leather from Italian furniture manufacturer Poltrona Frau is fitted over the seats, while diamond stiching accentuates the Agatha Cognac color. Granite Gray piping and stitching on the seats provides some contrast - not just with the leather but the natural, olive ash inlays on the dash. Granite Gray Nappa leather lines the instrument panel and steering wheel while a white Alcantara headliner sets off the whole package. Not that it's a shock, but this looks like a really nice place to spend some time.
It's unclear how much the exclusive concept treatment adds on to the already lofty $135,900 starting price of a US-spec A8L W12, or if the special interior treatment will even be available in the North America. Production is set to kick off next March. Scroll down for the full statement from Audi.

Mattias Ekstr?m unleashes bonkers 600-hp Audi S1 Supercar on World RX

Mattias Ekström doesn't need to prove anything. He's won the DTM title twice and before that the Swedish Touring Car Championship. But being a racing driver as he is, Ekström has been looking for new challenges. He's contested the Swedish Rally six times, the German Rally twice, he's driven in V8 Supercars and in NASCAR. He's even won the Race of Champions. Twice. Heck, we're surprised his long-time sponsor Red Bull hasn't let him try out one of its F1 cars. But this season it's on to a new challenge: the inaugural FIA World Rallycross Championship.
Ekström drove a Volkswagen Polo fielded by Marklund Motorsport in the Swedish rallycross round last season and came in second, but this year he's diving in head-first with his own team and his own car. His outfit EKS is hard at work preparing the new Audi S1 for competition in the World RX Championship, and will field two of them this season: one for Ekström and another for JWRC champion Pontus Tidemand.
Built to compete in the top category of the championship, the EKS Audi S1 Supercar will pack a 2.0-liter turbo four with 600 horsepower, all-wheel drive and a 0-60 time of 1.9 seconds. It's expected to make its debut late in May at the World RX of Great Britain where it will have to tangle with specially prepared versions of the Citroën DS3, Ford Fiesta ST and Peugeot 208 driven by the likes of Tanner Foust, Ken Block, Jacques Villeneuve and Petter Solberg. The sole North American round will be held in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, in early August, on the same circuit that once hosted Indy Lights, ALMS, Grand-Am, Can-Am and Trans-Am races.

Autoblog Podcast #376

Episode #376 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Chris Paukert and Brandon Turkus talk about the New York Auto Show, internet criticism of the Ram Runner, and the 2014 Ward's 10 Best Interiors. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #376: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: New York Auto Show preview Ram Runner criticism Ward's 10 Best interiors for 2014 In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS 2014 Chevrolet Camaro 1SS 1LE 2014 Audi Q7 TDI Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:37:18 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 New York Auto Show - 24:07 Ram Runner - 45:57 Ward's 10 Best Interiors - 57:00 Q&A - 01:14:02 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Auto News Podcasts New York Auto Show Audi Chevrolet Off-Road Vehicles chevy camaro 1le wards 10 best interiors