You can say business is going good for Audi as the German premium automaker announced today a new plan to invest €13 billion, mainly in new products and technologies and in expanding its sites by 2016, while the company will also recruit some 1,200 specialists in 2012 in addition to 3,500 new employees it hired throughout 2011.

“We are aiming to achieve strong growth on an international scale and boost our lightweight construction and electric mobility areas of expertise in particular," said Thomas Sigi, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at AUDI AG. "That is why we will be hiring even more people and are planning to appoint a further 1,200 experts next year.”

Even though the A8 is not as popular as the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the German tuning scene, Audi's offering in the luxury limousine sector definitely has its fans.

The latest creation to hit the streets is named the Audi A8 Venom Edition and it comes courtesy of Anderson Germany.

The first thing you'll notice about the car is the eye-catching satin gunmetal gray with the front grill, all emblems, plus the door handles and window surrounds finished in gloss black. The dark theme continues with the tinted windows and smoked lights.

An Audi S8 is a rare sight indeed in the U.S.A. Yet the A8 range-topper is also on top of the list in NHTSA’s recently published theft report for 2009.

As they say, there are lies, greater lies, and statistics: the S8’s number one position is somewhat misleading, however, since only two of the 227 cars that were sold that year were actually stolen. Statistically, though, this figure represents a theft rate of 8.8106 per 1,000 vehicles sold.

German aftermarket companies have recently stepped up their efforts to outdo each other in modifying the most luxurious proposals in the large sedan segment.

After the 720HP BMW 750Li from Tuninwerk that we told you about earlier today, Hofele Design has presented a similar but less powerful tuning package for the latest Audi A8 saloon [D4 series]. The German company's offering is called "SR 8" and it includes both styling and performance modifications.

Audi has chosen the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show to present two new versions of its A8 large luxury sedan as well as the brand-new 4.0 TFSI engine which will power the “S”-badged versions of its line-up.

The A8 Hybrid will go on sale on 2012 and unusually for such a big car, it features a relatively small-capacity four-cylinder gasoline engine coupled to a hybrid system. In reality, the A8 Hybrid is anything but underpowered: The 2.0-liter TFSI and the electric motor develop a combined output of 245 HP and 480 Nm (345.03 lb-ft) of torque for short periods of time.

Audi's third and final "S" model heading to the Frankfurt Motor Show is the luxurious S8 that will be launched on the market along with the S6 and S7 Sportback in the spring of 2012.

As it holds the title of being the 'Big Daddy' of Audi's S range, it was only appropriate that the S8 receive a more powerful version of the newly revealed 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine than on the S6 and S7 models.

A little over a year after the presentation of its A8 Hybrid Concept at the 2010 edition of the Geneva Salon, Audi is introducing the final production version of its frugal four-cylinder limousine, which goes on sale in 2012.

Confirming our suspicions that the concept label was misleading, Audi made very few changes to the production model such as the smaller (18" instead of 21") but same design alloy wheels and the more conventional looking engine cover.

No matter what car you buy, its price will start depreciating from the moment you turn the ignition key and roll out of the showroom. Of course, not all models lose value at the same rate. But there are some cars that stand out more than others and Popular Mechanics has compiled a list with some of the most heavily depreciated vehicles in the luxury car segment.

And while this may not be the kind of news a seller wants to hear, it's music to the ears of buyers in the market for snazzy set of wheels. Just remember that regardless if the car is new or used, running costs remain the same, and when it comes to luxury models, be prepared to dig deep into your pockets.

In the large luxury sedan stakes, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have been the long-time leaders. Five years ago, each brand’s flagship model – the 7-Series, the S-Class and the LS – collectively owned 82% of the U.S. market and Merc’s offering could claim 30% of that.

Between June 2010 and May of this year, however, their collective market share has dwindled some 68% while that of three newer models have grown.

There’s the Audi A8, up 5% and the Jaguar XJ, up 12%. Both of these models could claim next to nothing of the market when they were launched but now look at them.