The art of relaxation

Sometimes, a very busy manager comes up with the best ideas at the end of a long working day. That was certainly the case when Peter Fromm was picked up from the airport following a test-drive trip. Audi’s former Head of Development Bodyshell made himself comfortable in the back of the A8, kicked off his shoes, sighed deeply and thought: “What I could really use right now is a foot massage.”

Building on the already sumptuous interior appointment of the new Audi A8, the integrated massage technology is not only improved throughout, but offers a new innovation in luxury.

This foot and foot reflex zone massage function is now an option in the new A8 L with the executive package. The backrest of the passenger seat houses a module containing eight air cushions offering the ultimate in in-car relaxation. The passenger can control their rolling movements of the massage unit in two programs and with three intensities. Their calves are supported by an electrically deploying leg rest, while the massage zone offers several heat levels and has three size settings up to European shoe size 48.

in addition, Audi has also further improved the classic back massage functions throughout the car. In the front seat, backrests are now 16 triple cushions arranged one on top of the other, while each rear seat has a total of 18. Each has a volume of up to 90 millilitres, filled to a pressure of up to 0.5 bar by a small compressor. 

This sophisticated technology has many benefits, the effective area is now bigger, and Audi technicians developed the massage function in the new A8 in collaboration with physiotherapists, osteopaths and doctors to ensure the ultimate benefits for passengers and the driver alike.

“But there is no medical aspect to this. We’re talking purely about massage for wellbeing,” stresses developer Susanne Mentzel (pictured). Wellness is also a very subjective notion in this respect, as work with test subjects has shown. Almost all women questioned enjoyed the seat massage, but preferred a gentler setting to men. Customers from China, on the other hand, want to be handled pretty roughly in their cars.

In the new A8, the seat massage function comes with a choice of seven programs and three intensities. In general, they run harmoniously and symmetrically, be it stroking, stretching or circling movements. And which one is the developer’s personal favourite? 

“The stretch program is about stretching and loosening up the shoulder muscles, which is intended to counteract a single, sustained driving position,” says Susanne Mentzel. “I find that particularly pleasant on long journeys.”

Particularly in its width lower down and in its height on the rear seats. And the effect on the muscles is more profound because the manipulation is more intense. Whatever your personal favourite, there is no doubting the appeal of these massage options, which once experienced, are very, very hard to live without.