Audi Turns to Porsche Once Again

While both Audi and Porsche are part of the Volkswagen Group, they haven’t always shared in the research and development of their products. Porsche has always been known as a sports car brand that we’ve admired for several generations for the way these cars drive while Audi has been about simple and elegant luxury. As the market has changed over the years and lines between sport and luxury have been blurred, we see more examples of Audi borrowing qualities and features from Porsche than ever before, making it possible for the new Audi models to have some of the most engaging powertrains in the industry.

The new 2018 model of the Audi A8 just recently made its official debut and the new S8 is expected to be offered soon. This new sport version of the flagship model from this brand is said to be powered by and offered in two different forms. The first will use the power that we see in the Panamera Turbo, which is a 4.0-liter twin turbocharged V8 that pushes out 550 horsepower to give the Panamera the performance qualities we love and admire from this car from Porsche.

Another possibility will be an S8 Plus model that will offer even more power than you might expect by using the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid powertrain that uses the same twin turbocharged V8 engine but adds and electric motor to the mix to give us a combined output of 680 horsepower. This will give the new S8 more power than it’s ever had under the hood and certainly allow this new large sports sedan to be one that many shoppers will be looking for as they search for that balance between luxury and sports driving that makes a lot of sense and a huge difference on the road.

While these power numbers are certainly admirable, both of these engines will likely be detuned to a certain degree to keep the peace within the Volkswagen Group family. Either way, this will be an impressive car when it arrives as the sport version of the A8 which has already taken our breath away with the high-quality features and elegant drive that it offers. Putting together a pair of excellent sport variants of this car certainly make it even better for us and allows us to have the driving experience we’re after at the track or on the road.

The partnership with this Porsche model makes perfect sense because the Panamera and the A8 share a platform. In the past the S8 has borrowed a power plant from another member of the Volkswagen Group; Lamborghini. That previous power source was the 5.2-liter V10 engine that came from the Gallardo and the current S8 uses a twin turbocharged V8 that is being used in the Bentley Continental GT. IT seems the S8 is a car that has been borrowing from within the family for several years, but it also seems that no one minds at all.