The lightweight construction was presented on a silver show car and has since revolutionised automotive construction. The new A8, built upon the same ASF principles, will be the centre of focus at next week's auto show in Germany.

Nature was the key source of inspiration for Audi's engineers when working on the Audi Space Frame (ASF) 20 years ago. Audi's lightweight construction comprises of a light frame with extruded section and pressure die-castings. The body panels, like the roof, floor and side panels, are then integrated into the frame by means of a frictional connection so as to be semi-supporting.

Just a year from the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi went on to market the first volume production car with unitary aluminium body, the Audi A8. Panels were accounted for most of its 336 individual components and almost 75 percent of the assembly was performed by hand.

With over two decades of lightweight construction, the ASF principle has become well-established and the technology inherited by other models in the marque's lineup including the TT and the flagship R8 on top of the respective successors of the A8 limousine. Since 1994, Audi has constructed more than 750,000 cars using the ASF principle either entirely from aluminium or aluminium hybrid designs.

The all new Audi A8 takes centre stage next week in Frankfurt. Thanks to the ASF architecture, the new flagship sedan only weighs 231kg. A standard wheelbase, 3.0-litre TFSI quattro equipped, Audi A8 weighs in at 1.83 tonnes - the lightest model with all-wheel drive in its segment.