Audi has just unveiled the redesigned 2011 Audi A8 in Miami Beach. This is the regular-wheelbase A8 sedan, and it goes on understanding in late 2010. A long-wheelbase A8 will be along later with an official debut by the middle of next year. Sources close to Audi tell us the high-performance S8 (discontinued for 2010) will be back again as well, but no one's saying when. And during the unveiling, Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of management for Audi AG, said a hybrid A8 is in the works, too.

As is the rule with redesigns, this one sees the A8 grow in every direction: It's almost 3 inches longer (202.0 inches), 2 inches wider (76.7 inches), half an inch taller (57.5 inches), and it rides on a 2-inch longer wheelbase (117.8 inches). Audi isn't ready to talk curb weight, but assures us that thanks to its aluminum frame, the U.S.-spec executive sedan will "weigh about the same as the current A8."

Expect performance to be about the same as well, as the direct-injected, 4.2-liter V8 returns as the standard power plant, recording only modest gains in horsepower (now 372) and torque (now 328). Changes to the engine calibration, along with the introduction of an eight-speed automatic transmission, yield 15-percent better fuel economy, according to Audi. Look for 0-to-60-mph times to land at about 5.7 seconds. No word on the fate of the W12 engine, (also cancelled for 2010), but we're not holding our breath on that one.

More details after the jump. High-res photos will be added as we get them.

First Look: 2011 Audi A8

Audi says a 60/40 rear-biased split for the quattro all-wheel-drive will give the A8 a sportier character than the old A8 (which had a 50/50 split), and to that, we say, "maybe." Undoubtedly, ordering the optional torque-vectoring rear differential (used so effectively on the S4) will help in that endeavor. Ingolstadt has also revised the big sedan's adaptive suspension, and there's a Dynamic Steering option that varies the ratio to suit every driving situation.

Inside the A8, the most interesting bit of tech is the new and improved Multi-Media Interface. For 2011, MMI gains the ability to read your handwriting, as traced out by your finger on the screen, regardless of whether you write in English or Mandarin.