Future Audi S6 and S8 Engines Revealed

Audi just recently unveiled its brand new A6 and the A8 has only been on sale for a few months, but the brand is soon to augment its lineup up with high performance S models. Long rumored to receive a turbocharged V8 to replace the naturally aspirated V10 of the previous generation we can now confirm the horsepower output of the S versions. The S6 and S8 will both feature a 4.0 TFSI engine, the S6 will have 408 horsepower while the S8 will have 518 horsepower. It's likely that the S6 (and S7) will use a single turbocharger while the S8 will rely on a twin-turbo setup to deliver the extra 110 horsepower. The S6 will use a 7 speed dual-clutch gearbox while the S8 will have an 8 speed auto. The regular A8 will also use the 4.0T, delivering 420 horsepower in that application. The S6 and S8 are set to go to production towards the end of 2011 so expect a public debut soon. In related news the new A6 will also receive the long expected twin-turbo 3.0TDI engine with 313 horsepower in August.

The last generation S6 and S8 also shared a common engine, the 5.2 liter V10, but with a much more similar state of tune. The S6 V10 made 435 horsepower while the S8 made 450. This time it appears that the S6 will be repositioned in the same manner as Audi has done with the S4 previously. The S6 will become the sole V8 option (until the RS6) in the A6 lineup much like the S4 is the only V6 option for the A4. And for those concerned with the horsepower drop from the V10 I suspect that the new S6 will easily outperform its predecessor much like the latest supercharged V6 S4 had done compared to the old V8 powered S4.