The Audi A8 was the first production Audi model to feature the MMI, or Multi Media Interface, system. It debuted in the second-generation A8, known internally as the D3, in late 2002.
MMI was designed as a centralized control system for functions such as navigation, telephone, audio, television and vehicle settings. Instead of giving every feature a separate control layout, Audi used a central rotary-and-push controller surrounded by shortcut buttons and paired it with a display.
The chronology can cause confusion. Audi previewed the idea in the Avantissimo concept at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, but that was not a production model. The A8 was the first road-going Audi to receive production MMI; the A6 followed in 2004, with the system later spreading throughout Audi’s range.