2022 Audi A8 Horch Rendered With Chintzy Grille, Fake Exhaust Tips

Founded in 1904 in Zwickau, ultra-luxury automaker Horch registered as Audi less than a decade later. Merged with DKW and Wanderer, the nameplate was phased out by the end of the 1950s.

Now a part of the Volkswagen Group, Audi intends to revive Horch as the ultra-luxury variant of the A8 full-size sedan. Think of the upcoming model as the four-ringed answer to the Mercedes-based Maybach S-Class, which starts at $184,900 before freight charge for the 580 4Matic.

Scheduled to arrive next year with refreshed styling from the long-wheelbase Audi A8 L, the Horch will differ in the most obvious areas from the car on which it’s based. Our friends at Kolesa.ru believe that the oversized front grille is one of those areas, along with the brightwork on the side windows, wheel design, and model-specific badging on the C-pillars.

Just like the A8 L, the Horch may continue to flaunt exhaust tips in the rear bumper that aren’t connected to the exhaust system. The Volkswagen Group is the worst offender in this regard, but faux tips can also be seen on a handful of Mercedes passenger cars and utility vehicles. Even the Toyota Corolla has been affected by this atrocious trend.

As the direct competitor for the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the Audi-Horch A8 L needs a potent engine. The 6.0-liter W12 from the Bentley Flying Spur would be perfect for this application. Still, as the Volkswagen Group pushes for electrified vehicles throughout the lineup, the 4.0-liter V8 with 48-volt electric assistance could be a contender as well. In the S8 TFSI, the latter engine develops 563 horsepower (571 PS) at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque from 2,000 rpm.

As a brief refresher, Audi confirmed that it wouldn't develop next-generation engines over Euro 7 legislation. Speaking to a German newspaper, chief exec Markus Duesmann reassured the carmaker’s fans that current-gen engines will be improved as much as possible in markets where the lawmakers allow the sale of internal combustion-engined vehicles.