Our spy photographers caught the car while it was out winter testing. The confusion (is this a standard A8 or an S8?) is created by the fact that the German manufacturer is using a “there is no elephant in the room” approach - as the car is in its early development stages, the test vehicle does not feature any “S” visual features.
But the potential of the saloon is given away by the large brake rotors hidden behind the average winter rims. The quadruple tailpipes also indicate that this is not a normal member of the A8 family.
Rumors show that the upcoming S8 will drive on the downsizing road, ditching the naturally aspirated V10 powerplant for a more fuel-efficient turbocharged V8 engine. The new unit might be based on the 4.2 liter naturally aspirated unit introduced on the Audi RS5 - it now develops 450 HP and 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) of torque. Consequently, we expect a serious increase especially in the torque area. Others speculations indicate that the upcoming S8 will be powered by a 4.0 liter turbocharged unit that will develop 450 HP (this figure matches the current generation’s output) and a hefty torque figure.
The car is expected to enter the market in the last quarter of the present year or at the beginning of next year.
P.S.: The guys kindly asked the S8's driver to raise the hood for just a few seconds but he refused, mumbling something like "Vorsprung durch Technik"...
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