Audi is preparing to launch a high-performance version of its new flagship A8 and judging from these new spy shots it looks nearly production-ready. After spotting the new BMW M3 dancing around the Nurburgring, our spies have caught a prototype of the 2019 Audi S8 getting sideways at the Green Hell. Unlike the M3, however, Audi hasn't covered it in camouflage, so an official reveal probably isn't too far away. Compared to the standard model, the prototype S8 sits lower to the ground and rides on larger alloy wheels.

To cope with the extra performance, massive ceramic brake discs have been fitted with six-piston calipers up front. The styling tweaks are subtle. As we can see the super sedan sports reshaped bumpers, wider side skirts and quad exhaust pipes, giving it a slightly more aggressive appearance. In terms of powertrains, the 2019 Audi S8 is expected to adopt either the 2.9 liter V6 from the Panamera 4S or the 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 from the Panamera Turbo. Let's hope it's the latter, because the V8 generates 550 hp in the Panamera Turbo. Power is rumored to increase by around 20 hp from the old S8, so we can expect the new model to generate somewhere in the region of 540 hp.

If you want even more power, an Audi S8 e-tron could also be rolled out packing the same technology as the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which produces 680 hp. In the Audi, this output will likely be detuned since Porsche will want the Panamera to reign supreme. As for when we'll see the new 2019 Audi S8, the super sedan will probably debut at the Paris Auto Show in October if we had to guess.