Fleet of New Audi S Models and New V8 engine Announced Ahead of Frankfurt

Apparently BMW was not the only German car maker planning to build a twin-turbo V8 for its sportiest models. Audi announced the S6, S6 Avant, S7 Sportback and S8 today. All of which will come with the company's new 4.0 liter, twin-turbo V8 making either 420hp or 520hp depending on the model. 

The new V8 uses a raft of technology to make it as efficient and as quiet as possible. It has start/stop functionality like many engines these days. It also has cylinder deactivation to use as little as four cylinders when necessary.

Audi's new S-cars are all available with active noise canceling as standard. Microphones embedded in the headliner detect in cabin sound, and if the system detects that there are intrusive sounds in the vehicle, it broadcasts anti-phase sound to cancel it out. 

As far as exteriors go, the new S-cars follow the Audi style of making them very handsome sports cars. There are no big wings or big fender flairs. The S6 models and S7 are available with 19in or 20in wheels and the S8 comes standard with 20in wheels with a 21in wheel option. 

The S6, S6 Avant and S7 Sportback all come with similar equipment and the same 420hp and 550Nm version of the new V8. It is down 9 horsepower compared to the 5.2l V10 in the previous generation, but torque is up 10Nm. All of the cars come with Quattro all-wheel drive with a self-locking center differential with torque vectoring with an optional sport differential to distribute power between the rear wheels. They also all use Audi's seven-speed S-tronic automatic transmission with paddle shifters. 

The S6 sedan with do 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds, while the wagon and S7 Sportback both take 4.9 seconds. The S6 sedan consumes 9.7l/100km of petrol, 9.8l/100km for the wagon and 10.2l/100km for the S7 Sportback. 

All three models come standard with an air suspension that lowers the cars 10mm over their counterparts. They also all have xenon plus headlights and LED rear lights. 

There is also a ton of optional equipment for them. Carbon fiber-ceramic brakes are available, as are LED headlights, a heads-up display, adaptive cruise control, MMI Navigation Plus, which includes an 8in touchscreen and Bluetooth, and Audi's Parking Plus system that has cameras mounted 360 degrees, which is displayed on the car's MMI display. 

The S8 uses the 520hp and 650Nm version of the new V8, which is 76hp and 110Nm more than the previous engine. It consumes 10.2l/100km of petrol, which is a 23% increase offer the previous engine. The S8 comes with an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission with the sport rear differential. It also comes with the air suspension like on the other S-cars. Dynamic steering, which changes the steering ratio based on the car's speed, LED headlights and MMI Navigation Plus are all standard. 

The S8 also has a smattering of options like carbon fiber-ceramic brakes, the 360 degree parking system and Audi's adaptive cruise control that contains side assist, lane assist, speed limit display and night vision. 

All of the new S-cars will be available in the spring of 2012. Audi did not announce prices for any of the models. 

What could this mean for future RS verions of these cars? It seems like the S8 is likely making more power because there is more room for larger intercoolers. I wonder if it is theoretically possible to shoehorn the more powerful engine into the smaller chassis? The block and turbos clearly fit, but that is a lot of heat to deal with. 

Also how long until this engine is put in the R8? It's already nearly as powerful than the V10 in the R8 now and makes more torque.