Not too long ago we told you that the upcoming 2011 Audi A8 would make its world debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. We're sticking to that story and now sources at Audi are telling us that the new flagship sedan will feature an eight-speed automatic transmission hooked to its 4.2-liter V8. We were told to expect about 375-horsepower out of the standard engine and the usual quattro all-wheel drive setup.

The new drivetrain isn't exactly groundbreaking for the class, but it does open up an interesting new possibility for the 2011 Audi S5 coupe. Although the original plan called for the S5 to switch to the S4 sedan's supercharged V6 after the 2010 model year, overwhelming enthusiasm inside and outside the company for the S5's current V8 setup has convinced the company to reconsider. Given the coupe's surprising speed with the current 354-horsepower powerplant, an extra 20 horses and some extra torque certainly couldn't hurt. And as much as we like the six-speed manual in our long-term S5, the eight-speed auto might be even faster. We'll see.

By Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor