Though the Audi S8 was introduced in Europe in 1994, the car was unavailable in the US until 1997. The S8 was built on a chassis made of aluminum that reduced its weight. The S8 was available in two types; the S8 and the S8L. The S8L version had an additional five inches of wheel base. This additional wheel base meant that the car had more space in the back. The company added six more bags to the interior of the S8 making it the first vehicle to have airbags in 1997. Also in the same year the S8 became available in two trims the short and long wheel base. The S8 was now made available with an all-wheel Drive Quattro or a front wheel drive. The latter was powered by a 3.7 liter V8 engine while the former was powered by a 4.2 liter engine.

In 2003, Audi introduced a new S8 version. This version was built on the D3 platform. The vehicle was roomier, giving enough space for four or five adults to sit in the car. Though this was dependent on what kind of seating one chose. In 2005 the S8 was given the V10 engine. The Audi S8 made a quiet exit in 2005 to return to the production line in 2007.

In 2007, the company introduced the S8 with an engine made by Lamborghini (the latter was now owned by Audi). The new S8 now had a 40 valve V10 engine, Tiptronic Automatic gears. The car now has a navigation system which is user friendly and easy to use, a cd player that is located in a box inside the dashboard, side mirrors that can be moved using power and 20 inch tires. Though the designers have provided the S8 with a keyless system to start the car, it抯 proved to be a pain at times. This was due to the fact that people had returned to find that even though they thought that they had stopped the car and switched off the engine, the engine was still running.