We knew that Audi was working on a more spirited version of its “new luxury” A8 flagship sedan and now we have some fresh spy photos as the Germans put the final touches on the S8 before its official premiere later this year, possibly as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The big news is that VW Group is hushing in a new generation of engines for its performance orientated models and the 2012 Audi S8 is no exception.
The new sporty limousine will drop the previous model’s naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10, which was shared with Lamborghini, in favor of a newly developed 4.0-liter turbocharged V8.
The latter will make its appearance -with some changes- in a variety of VW Group models ranging from the next Audi S6 and S7 to the entry-level Bentley Continental Coupe, Convertible and Sedan variants.
In the S8, it is believed that it will make anywhere between 450HP and 500HP, which will be channeled to all-four wheels through Audi’s quattro system and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.
Even though the production model will feature a slightly more aggressive exterior than the prototype seen in these scoop photos, in typical Audi fashion, its appearance will be rather understated with changes including a different front grille, beefier front and rear bumpers, larger alloy wheels and quad tail pipes.
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