Original subtitles

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS"...

THE AUDI S8, A LUXURY SPORTS CAR

WITH UNDERSTATED LOOKS AND OUTRAGEOUS POWER.

♪♪

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

AUDI MANUFACTURES THE S8 IN NECKARSULM, GERMANY.

CAR MANUFACTURING BEGAN HERE MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO

WITH A COMPANY CALLED NSU.

NSU MERGED WITH AUDI

AFTER BEING BOUGHT BY THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP.

AUDI WAS FOUNDED BY AUGUST HORCH IN 1909.

"HORCH" MEANS "LISTEN" IN GERMAN.

THE LATIN TRANSLATION OF "LISTEN" IS "AUDI."

AUDI IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS WELL-ENGINEERED LUXURY CARS.

THE "S" IN THE AUDI S8 STANDS FOR "SPORT."

THE S8 CAN SMOOTHLY STROLL THROUGH THE TWISTING ROADS

OF NECKARSULM'S CELEBRATED VINEYARDS

OR EASILY OVERTAKE NEARLY EVERY CAR

ON THE OPEN ROAD.

AUDI'S NECKARSULM FACILITY FOCUSES ON REDUCING WEIGHT

IN AUTO CONSTRUCTION.

IT HAS AN IN-HOUSE PRESS SHOP, ALUMINUM-STEEL BODY SHOP,

AND TWO PURE ALUMINUM BODY SHOPS.

HERE, A TECHNICIAN LOADS AN ALUMINUM COMPONENT

INTO A WELDING JIG.

AUDI'S MOTTO IS VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK,

WHICH MEANS "ADVANCEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY."

A PAIR OF ROBOTS SWING INTO ACTION,

WELDING PARTS TO CREATE

THE MULTI-MATERIAL AUDI SPACE FRAME'S FRONT END.

A ROBOT LOWERS THE REAR END OF THE SPACE FRAME INTO PLACE.

A TECHNICIAN LOADS ON EXTRUDED AND FORGED ALUMINUM COMPONENTS,

WHICH WILL CONNECT THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE SPACE FRAME.

THE UNDERBODY MOVES TO THE NEXT STATION,

WHERE WELDING ROBOTS JOIN ALL THE PARTS.

DESPITE THE EXTENSIVE USE OF ROBOTS,

THE NECKARSULM FACILITY STILL RELIES ON OVER 16,000 EMPLOYEES

AS OF 2015.

AUDI'S SPACE-FRAME TECHNOLOGY FEATURES LOAD-CARRYING PROFILES,

STIFFENING SHEETS, AND CAST-JOINING ELEMENTS,

CREATING A HIGH-STRENGTH BUT LIGHTWEIGHT UNDERBODY.

CLAMPS AND VACUUM-POWERED SUCTION CUPS

HOLD THE BODY SIDE PANEL IN PLACE

AS IT MOVES TO THE AVT STRUCTURAL BONDING SYSTEM.

HERE, A ROBOT APPLIES

AN AEROSPACE-GRADE STRUCTURAL ADHESIVE

TO EVERY JOINING SURFACE ON THE PANEL

WITH REMARKABLE PRECISION.

THE S8 PRODUCTION LINE

AT NECKARSULM IS HEAVILY AUTOMATED.

ROBOTIC FIXTURES BRING THE TWO BODY SIDE PANELS

TO THE FRAME SIMULTANEOUSLY.

THEN ANOTHER TEAM OF ROBOTS

SPOT-WELD THE PANELS TO THE UNDERBODY.

THIS BODY IN WHITE IS NEARLY COMPLETE.

WHEN FINISHED IT WILL HAVE AN UNLADEN WEIGHT

JUST UNDER 4,400 POUNDS.

AUDI PLACES GREAT IMPORTANCE ON LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION.

THROUGHOUT THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS,

LASER ALIGNMENT RIGS

CHECK FOR ANY DEVIATIONS FROM THE DESIGN PARAMETERS.

THE COMPLETED BODY IN WHITE HAS 320 FEET

OF WELDING SEAMS, 782 RIVETS,

AND 308 SELF-TAPPING SCREWS.

IT'S COMPOSED OF 70% ALUMINUM EXTRUSIONS,

8% VACUUM-CAST NODES,

AND 22% SHEET-ALUMINUM PANELS,

RESULTING IN A STRUCTURE OF MINIMAL WEIGHT

BUT MAXIMUM STABILITY.

THE PAINT SHOP APPLIES FIVE COATS OF FINISH

TO THE BODY IN WHITE.

EACH COAT IS 120 MICRONS DEEP,

NO THICKER THAN A HUMAN HAIR.

NOZZLES SPRAY PAINT WITH AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE.

THE CHARGE CAUSES THEM TO REPEL EACH OTHER,

RESULTING IN OPTIMAL DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE SURFACE.

HOWEVER, A STRONG BOND

IS CREATED BETWEEN THE GROUNDED CAR BODY

AND THE CHARGED PAINT PARTICLES.

THIS FINISHED S8 BODY

IS READY TO JOIN ITS CHASSIS AND POWERTRAIN.

Narrator: DESPITE THE UNDERSTATED LOOK OF THE AUDI S8,

UNDERNEATH THE HOOD IS SHEER BRUTE POWER.

TO ENSURE EACH S8 ENGINE MEASURES UP

TO THE RIGOROUS DEMANDS

OF AUDI'S ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT,

QUALITY-CONTROL EXPERTS RUN A VARIETY OF TESTS.

THE ENGINE FOR THE S8 IS AUDI'S 4-LITER TFSI POWER PLANT.

TFSI STANDS FOR TURBO FUEL STRATIFIED INJECTION.

THAT MEANS FUEL IS PRESSURE-INJECTED DIRECTLY

INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER.

THE RESULT IS A POWERFUL YET EFFICIENT ENGINE.

THE ENGINE FEATURES CYLINDER-ON-DEMAND TECHNOLOGY.

WHICH MEANS FOUR OF ITS CYLINDERS

DEACTIVATE AT NORMAL SPEED, CONSERVING FUEL.

A TECHNICIAN JOINS THE TRANSMISSION TO THE ENGINE

AND BOLTS IT IN PLACE.

THE TRANSMISSION IS AN EIGHT-SPEED TIPTRONIC

WITH DSP AND SPORT PROGRAM.

THE TIPTRONIC FEATURES

A HYDRAULIC TORQUE CONVERTER LOCK-UP CLUTCH.

A SECOND TECHNICIAN MOUNTS

THE AIR-CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR SYSTEM.

THE DRIVETRAIN THEN MOVES ON TO THE NEXT PHASE.

AN OVERHEAD CRANE SYSTEM ALIGNS ITSELF WITH THE UNDERBODY

AND CAREFULLY LOWERS THE ENGINE.

TECHNICIANS THEN USE SPECIALIZED ZERO-GRAVITY DRIVERS

WITH PREPROGRAMMED TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

TO SECURELY BOLT THE COMPONENTS TOGETHER.

THE S8 ENGINE HAS AN INNOVATIVE COMPACT LAYOUT

WITH EXTENSIVE INSULATION AND MINIMAL FRICTIONAL LOSSES.

THIS IMPROVES THERMODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE.

THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION,

AND UNDERBODY LOWER ONTO AN ASSEMBLY POUND.

TECHNICIANS INSTALL THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER

BEFORE MOUNTING THE SUSPENSION.

THE S8 COMES WITH FIVE-LINK FRONT SUSPENSION,

UPPER AND LOWER WISHBONES,

TUBULAR ANTI-ROLL BAR, AND AIR SUSPENSION.

THE REAR FEATURES TRAPEZOIDAL-LINK SUSPENSION

WITH WISHBONES,

TUBULAR ANTI-ROLL BAR, AND AIR SUSPENSION.

THESE ELEMENTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAR'S SMOOTH RIDE,

WHICH IS SUSTAINED THROUGH A SYSTEM

CALLED ACTIVE ENGINE MOUNTS.

ACTIVE ENGINE MOUNTS USE

AN ELECTROMAGNETIC OSCILLATING COIL ACTUATOR

TO TRANSMIT A RAPID STROKE TO HYDRAULIC FLUID

IN THE MOUNTING.

THE PROCESS GENERATES

OUT-OF-PHASE COUNTER OSCILLATIONS

WHICH CANCEL OUT THE ENGINE'S VIBRATIONS.

NEXT, A TEAM MEMBER MOUNTS THE CAR'S DISC BRAKES.

THE S8 IS EQUIPPED WITH BOTH FRONT

AND REAR DISC BRAKES,

WHICH FORM PART OF THE DUAL-CIRCUIT BRAKE SYSTEM.

THE PAIR OF TECHNICIANS LOWER THE FRONT AXLE INTO PLACE

ALONG WITH THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION.

THEN THEY INSTALL THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.

THE SYSTEM'S TWO CLOSE-COUPLED CERAMIC CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

ARE EACH EQUIPPED WITH TWO OXYGEN SENSORS

TO MONITOR THE CAR'S EMISSIONS PERFORMANCE.

WITH INSTALLATION COMPLETE,

THE UNDERBODY HEADS OFF TO THE NEXT STATION.

AN OVERHEAD CRANE LOWERS THE REAL-AXLE SUBASSEMBLY

INTO PLACE.

THE SUBASSEMBLY INCLUDES THE SPORT DIFFERENTIAL

FOR AUDI'S FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE SYSTEM KNOWN AS QUATRO.

NEXT, THE TECHNICIAN INSTALLS THE DRIVESHAFT.

THIS CHANNELS POWER FROM THE ENGINE

TO THE REAR WHEELS

USING AUDI'S SPECIALIZED SPORT DIFFERENTIAL.

IT VARIES THE TORQUE BETWEEN THE REAR WHEELS

ACCORDING TO THE DRIVING CONDITIONS.

THE TECHNICIAN FINISHES THE RUNDOWN OF THE BOLTS

WITH A TORQUE-CONTROLLED DRIVER

SUPPORTED BY A LIFT-ASSIST SYSTEM.

WITH THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, AND DRIVESHAFT IN PLACE,

ASSEMBLY OF THE UNDERBODY IS NEARLY COMPLETE.

A TECHNICIAN USES A LIFT-ASSIST

TO INSTALL THE S8's DOUBLE-CHAMBERED FUEL TANK

UNDERNEATH THE REAR PASSENGER SEATS.

Narrator: TEAM MEMBERS ARE READY TO ASSEMBLE

THE AUDI S8'S OPULENT INTERIOR.

TECHNICIANS INSTALL A WIRING HARNESS INSIDE THE CAR.

THE HARNESS IS COMPLEX, WITH NUMEROUS CONNECTIONS.

THAT'S NO SURPRISE, CONSIDERING THE S8 IS EQUIPPED

WITH AN EXTENSIVE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE

WHICH INCLUDES PARKING SENSORS, A TOP-VIEW CAMERA,

ELECTRONIC VEHICLE IMMOBILIZATION DEVICE

WITH ALARM SYSTEM AND BACKUP HORN,

ELECTRICALLY FOLDING EXTERIOR MIRRORS,

ELECTRIC TILT AND TELESCOPIC STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENTS,

HEATED LEATHER STEERING WHEEL,

A TIRE-PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM,

FOUR-ZONE AUTOMATIC AIR-CONDITIONING,

AND POWER-ASSISTED DOOR CLOSURE.

ONCE THE WIRING HARNESS IS INSTALLED,

TEAM MEMBERS BRING IN THE DASHBOARD.

A TECHNICIAN INSTALLS THE STEERING COLUMN

WITH EXTREME CARE AND PRECISION.

THE S8's INTERIOR PANELING COMES NEXT.

IT CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO INCLUDE LEATHER, WOOD, ALUMINUM,

AND CARBON-FIBER ELEMENTS.

THE DELUXE SPORT 22-WAY POWER FRONT SEATS

HAVE A MEMORY SYSTEM.

THERE IS NO NEED TO FINE-TUNE THEM

EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE OCCUPANTS.

THEY ALSO COME WITH MASSAGE AND HEATING FUNCTIONS.

THIS S8 IS READY TO RECEIVE ITS FAMED AUDI LOGO,

WHICH SYMBOLIZES THE 1932 MERGER OF FOUR GERMAN CAR COMPANIES...

AUDI, DKW, WANDERER, AND HORCH.

A TECHNICIAN INSTALLS

A THREE-SPOKE MULTI-FUNCTION HEATED LEATHER STEERING WHEEL

WITH SHIFT PADDLES.

THE AUDI BADGE MODULE ALSO CONTAINS THE DRIVER-SIDE AIRBAG.

THE S8 CAN BE ORDERED WITH AUTOMATIC SOFT-CLOSE DOORS,

MEANING THAT EVEN IF YOU'RE LOADED DOWN WITH GROCERIES

AND CAN'T SWING THE DOOR COMPLETELY SHUT,

THE CAR WILL FINISH THE JOB FOR YOU.

THIS AUDI S8 CAR BODY IS COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED

AND READY TO MEET ITS DRIVETRAIN.

THE JOINING OF THE BODY

WITH THE CHASSIS IS A FULLY AUTOMATED PROCESS.

THE PALLET TRANSPORTING THE CHASSIS

ALIGNS ITSELF UNDER THE BODY PERFECTLY.

AS THE PALLET RAISES THE CHASSIS AND THE POWERTRAIN

INTO THE BODY, TECHNICIANS MONITOR THE PROCESS CLOSELY.

TEAM MEMBERS USE A SPECIALIZED LIFT-ASSIST FIXTURE

TO INSTALL THE CAR'S COOLING SYSTEM.

AUDI S8 RADIATORS COME FROM MODI, A COMPANY

THAT HAS SPECIALIZED IN HEAT-TRANSFER SYSTEMS

SINCE 1916.

THE S8's TALL RECTANGULAR GRILLE

IS SO EMBLEMATIC OF THE AUDI LOOK

YOU ALMOST DON'T EVEN THE NEED

THE FOUR-RING SYMBOL TO IDENTIFY THE CAR'S MAKER.

A TECHNICIAN USES A SPECIALIZED DOLLY SYSTEM

TO BRING THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL TO THE CAR.

HE THREADS THE LUG NUTS ON WITH THE HELP OF A GUIDE.

USING AN AUTOMATED DRIVER, HE TIGHTENS ALL FIVE LUGS

TO THE PRECISE TORQUE.

WITH ALL FOUR WHEELS MOUNTED, THIS S8 IS ALMOST COMPLETE.

ONLY ONE FINAL STEP REMAINS.

A TEAM MEMBER SNAPS THE ENGINE COVER INTO PLACE.

THIS CAR IS READY TO LEAVE THE ASSEMBLY LINE

AND GO TO DYNAMIC TESTING.

ON A ROLLING ROAD,

HE PUTS THE S8 THROUGH IT'S PACES.

HE REVS IT UP AS THE DIGITAL PROGRAM CHECKS

TO MAKE SURE IT MEETS EVERY PERFORMANCE PARAMETER.

A STRIP OF ROUGHLY COBBLESTONED CIRCLES

LINE THE INNER CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE AUDI TEST TRACK.

DRIVING THE S8 OVER THIS SURFACE

ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO NOTE ANY SQUEAKS OR RATTLES

THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE CORRECTED.

IT'S TIME TO HIT THE THROTTLE

AND SEE WHAT THIS SUPERCAR CAN DO AT SPEED.

Narrator: THIS S8 HAS MET EVERY PERFORMANCE PARAMETER.

BUT WHEN THIS MUCH TIME AND EFFORT

IS PUT INTO A VEHICLE,

TECHNICIANS STILL DOUBLE-CHECK TO ENSURE IT'S PERFECT

BEFORE SHIPPING IT OFF.

AS PART OF AUDI'S MULTI-STEP QUALITY-CONTROL PROGRAM,

A SPECIALIST INSPECTS EVERY ASPECT OF THE CAR.

HE USES A GAP GAUGE TO ENSURE THAT THE SPACES BETWEEN PANELS

MEET A PRESET STANDARD.

THE PAINT JOB MUST BE FLAWLESS.

A SPRAY BOTTLE AND CLOTH

HELP HIM IDENTIFY EVEN THE MOST MINUTE BLEMISHES

IN THE SURFACE.

BUT, OF COURSE, THE EXTERIOR OF THE S8 IS ONLY ONE ASPECT

OF THE CAR.

FOR THE SUMPTUOUS INTERIOR,

WOOD PANELING IS ONE OF THE MANY CUSTOMER OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

BUYERS CAN CHOOSE FROM A WIDE RANGE

OF OPTIONS FOR THE PAINT JOB.

IF THEY DON'T FIND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR,

AUDI CAN MATCH THE COLOR OF A FAVORITE ITEM

OF CLOTHING, FURNITURE, OR JEWELRY.

FOR THE INTERIOR UPHOLSTERY OF THE S8,

AUDI PROVIDES AN ARRAY OF LEATHER FINISHES AND COLORS.

THE S8 COMES STANDARD WITH COMFORT SPORTS SEATS.

A QUILTED LEATHER UPHOLSTERY DEMONSTRATES AUDI'S COMMITMENT

TO OLD-SCHOOL CRAFTSMANSHIP.

UNDERNEATH THAT CRAFTSMANSHIP IS A HIGH-TECH COLLECTION

OF SEATING TECHNOLOGY.

BESIDES ELECTRIC LUMBAR SUPPORT,

THE SEATS FEATURE AN UPPER- BACKREST ADJUSTMENT FUNCTION,

WHICH ALLOWS PASSENGERS TO ANGLE THE TOP THIRD OF THE BACKREST.

EVEN THOUGH THE S8 WAS DEVELOPED BY AUDI'S PERFORMANCE DIVISION,

THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR IS ALL LUXURY.

SOUNDPROOFING AND NOISE-REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY

MAKE THE RIDE QUIET EVEN WHEN CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

THE CABIN IS OPULENT BUT PRACTICAL.

SCREENS MOUNTED ON THE BACKS OF THE FRONT SEATS

HELP PASS THE TIME ON LONG TRIPS.

AUDI'S NECKARSULM FACILITY ISN'T JUST A FACTORY,

IT'S ALSO THE SITE OF AN AUDI FORUM

WHERE THE COMPANY DISPLAYS ITS PRODUCTS.

OF COURSE THE S8 IS PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED.

THE CAR'S SHAPE AND UNDERSTATED LOOKS

GIVE LITTLE SIGN OF THE POWER

THAT LIES BENEATH THE HOOD.

BUT THERE ARE SMALL DETAILS HERE AND THERE

THAT HINT AT ITS POWER AND PERFORMANCE.

IN THE EVENING, THE AUDI FORUM IN NECKARSULM

TRANSFORMS INTO A STAGE

FOR ALL KINDS OF CULTURAL EVENTS,

FROM POP CONCERTS TO LITERARY READINGS.

BUT DURING THE DAY,

IT'S WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN SEE THEIR NEW CAR

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THE S8 IS BASED ON AUDI'S LEGENDARY A8,

CONSIDERED BY SOME

TO BE THE ULTIMATE GERMAN LUXURY SEDAN.

EVERY DETAIL OF THE S8'S INTERIOR

IS EMBLEMATIC OF THE OPULENT A8.

BUT WHEN MULTIPLE DRIVE MODES APPEAR ON THE DISPLAY,

ALLOWING DRIVERS TO CUSTOMIZE THEIR EXPERIENCE,

IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT THIS CAR CAN GENERATE POWER

AT A HIGHER LEVEL.

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO REALLY SEE

WHAT THIS CAR CAN DO...

TAKE IT OUT ON THE OPEN ROAD.

THE SHAPE OF THE MATRIX L.E.D. HEADLIGHTS

AND THE BRUSHED-ALUMINUM EXTERIOR MIRROR HOUSINGS

SET THE S8 APART.

BUT IT'S THE TURBO FUEL-INJECTED 4-LITER V-8 UNDER THE HOOD

THAT TRULY DISTINGUISHES THE S8 FROM ITS COMPETITION.

THE ENGINE IS THE HIDDEN MUSCLE

THAT REVS THIS SERENE AND OPULENT-LOOKING SEDAN

TO FEROCIOUS SPEEDS.

THE TFSI POWER PLANT CRANKS OUT 520 HORSEPOWER AT 5,800 RPMS,

WITH A MAXIMUM TORQUE OF ABOUT 550 FOOT-POUNDS

BETWEEN 1,700 AND 5,500 RPMS.

THE S8 GOES FROM ZERO TO 60 IN JUST 4.1 SECONDS,

WITH A TOP SPEED OF 155 MILES PER HOUR.

THE S8 CAN OUTMATCH MOST HIGH-PERFORMANCE CARS

ON THE OPEN ROAD

WHILE ITS PASSENGERS SIT BACK IN PLUSH COMFORT

AND QUIET STYLE.