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Weekly Recap: Lamborghini fires on all cylinders

Lamborghini added 192 technicians and specialists in 2014 as the Italian automaker expands under the ambitious growth strategy of parent company Volkswagen AG. The additional workers helped Lamborghini increase its sales 19 percent last year to 2,530 supercars, and further expansion is planned for this year. Lambo has added more than 500 people in the last four years, bringing its headcount to 1,175. "Lamborghini is undergoing a strong phase of growth in both sales and in terms of recruitment," CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. "We invest significantly in our people ... in 2015 we plan to hire further." The supercar maker's solid performance last year came during a time of transition. Lambo sold off the final 265 Gallardos, which were the brand's best-selling models ever. Its 10-cylinder successor, the Huracan, immediately filled the void. It garnered 3,300 orders, and 1,137 of them were delivered in 2014. The other Lamborghini, the 12-cylinder Aventador, saw its sales increase 13 percent to 1,128 copies. The sales leap comes as Volkswagen drives sales expansion across its portfolio of brands. The German carmaker sold 10 million vehicles around the world for the first time last year. Though Lambo will never make supercars in great numbers, it is expected to contribute to VW's bottom line through its image and profitable sales. Look for further growth this year, and a Super Veloce version (shown above) of the Aventador has already been spotted during testing. Lamborghini has been working on a sport utility vehicle for years, though the company has never publicly approved the project. It also showed a hybrid, the Asterion, at last year's Paris Motor show, suggesting the automaker is considering an electric future. Other News and Notes GMC ponders Jeep Wrangler fighter GMC is considering adding a competitor to the Jeep Wrangler and has discussed the idea with its dealers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details of the vehicle are unclear, but the report suggested the vehicle could have cues from General Motors' old Hummer brand. The move would broaden GMC's lineup of trucks and SUVs and attract new customers. GMC sold 501,853 vehicles in 2014, making it GM's second-best selling brand. GMC had more volume than Cadillac and Buick combined, though it's still well behind Chevrolet's tally of more than two million vehicles. The notion of a "Wrangler fighter" could be a moving target.

Valentino Balboni launches Lamborghini parts company

After 40 years of helping Lamborghini develop some of the greatest supercars on the road, former test driver Valentino Balboni is going back to work. Balboni recently unveiled his own company, aptly named VB, which will specialize in aftermarket components for Lamborghinis. VB's first matter of business is to give Lamborghini's most hardcore supercar a better sound. Set to launch at the Concorso Italiano during this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance week, VB's first aftermarket part is a titanium exhaust system for the Lamborghini Aventador LP-750 SV. The titanium exhaust system weighs in at 13.8 pounds and is a bolt-on part that uses OEM mounts. Each exhaust system takes over 350 hours to make and will be limited to a production run of 30 units. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Pricing for the exhaust system hasn't been announced, but drivers with the means to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for an Aventador SV should be able to afford some aftermarket goodies. Balboni has an extensive history with Lamborghini. After starting as a mechanic's apprentice, Balboni went on to become a test driver at Ferruccio Lamborghini's request. Before retiring in 2009, Balboni was said to have driven roughly 80 percent of the automaker's entire production. Lamborghini even named a supercar after him, the 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, as a way of saying thank you. It looks like Balboni isn't done with Lamborghini, yet, and VB's titanium exhaust system for the Aventador SV should be an aural delight. Related Video: Featured Gallery VB Lamborghini Aventador SV Exhaust System Related Gallery Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce: Geneva 2015 View 21 Photos News Source: Facebook, Valentino BalboniImage Credit: Valentino Balboni Auto News Aftermarket Lamborghini Performance exhaust system valentino balboni lamborghini aventador sv lamborghini aventador lp 750-4 superveloce

Lamborghini Huracan EVO2 race car is a harbinger of future models

Lamborghini funneled the lessons learned from years of racing into the latest evolution of the track-only Huracan. Called EVO2, the coupe gains a number of aerodynamic updates and more powerful brakes for the 2022 season. You don't need to be a seasoned car spotter to tell the EVO2 apart from the outgoing EVO. Its front end has been completely redesigned with new-look headlights, air curtains on both sides of the bumper, and a reshaped splitter made with carbon fiber. It's the same story out back, where the LED lights are thinner and the diffuser is bigger. Most of the visual changes were made with racing in mind, but they'll have a lasting effect on the firm's range. "[The EVO2's design] blends the muscular styling cues that characterizes previous racing variants of the Huracan with some of the styling cues that define Lamborghini's DNA. Additionally, the Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 illustrates an futuristic approach to design that partly previews elements that will make their way to future road-going models," revealed Mitja Borkert, the head of the company's design department, in a statement. There's more carbon fiber, too. The rocker panel extensions and some of the aerodynamic elements fitted to the rear end are now made with the lightweight material rather than with plastic to shed every last ounce of weight. Lamborghini will inevitably electrify during the 2020s, but it plans to celebrate the non-electrified internal combustion engine in the coming years. Don't look for a hybrid system under the EVO2's body. It uses a naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 that's mid-mounted and tuned to send 620 horsepower to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission. Bigger brake rotors and redesigned calipers capable of housing larger brake pads provide stopping power lap after lap. Lamborghini notes its Squadra Corsa division developed the new braking system in-house. Fans and drivers will get their first chance to see what the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 is capable of on May 28, 2021, at the Paul Ricard race track in the south of France. It's scheduled to make its competition debut during the 2022 season of the Super Trofeo series. Pricing for the European market starts at 250,000 euros, which represents about $306,100 at the current conversion rate. Alternatively, teams currently racing a Super Trofeo EVO will be able to purchase an upgrade kit to bring their car to EVO2 specifications. Pricing hasn't been announced yet.