1981 Delorean Dmc-12 Leather on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi CEO says brand's EVs are almost as profitable as its other cars

After, oh, a hundred years or so of building vehicles primarily powered by internal combustion engines, automakers around the world have been and still are pumping billions of dollars into the development of electric vehicle technology. Everything from platforms and batteries to motors and the software to control it all requires untold hours of development, and that takes time and money. Fortunately, it's not going to take long for that massive investment to start paying off, at least according to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, who told Reuters in an interview that "The point where we earn as much money with electric cars as with combustion engine cars is now, or ... next year, 2023. They are very even now, the prices." As a brand, Audi contributed more than a quarter of overall profit for the massive Volkswagen Group, which has such powerhouse brands as Volkswagen and Porsche among others. Under the Audi umbrella are Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati, and it seems those high-end branches aren't going anywhere, at least for now. "These brands ... are very valuable very profitable brands, where we can even expand the synergy level in the future," Duesmann said in the interview. "There are no plans whatsoever to get rid of them." Despite the overall profitability of the brand, the ongoing global chip crisis is causing headaches. "We had a very strong first half in 2021. We do expect a much weaker second half," said Duesmann, who added, "We really have trouble." In fact, so serious is the trouble that the brand is forced into "a day-to-day troubleshooting process" to limit the chip-shortage damage. The good news for the automaker is that Audi has been able to boost its profit margin from 8% prior to the pandemic in 2019 to 10.7% in the first half of 2021. The bad news is that various chip shortages aren't expected to get a whole lot better over the rest of the year. Related video:

Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo sounds as ferocious as it looks

The Vision Gran Turismo program lets auto designers go wild on special creations for the PlayStation game. Bugatti went a little further with its entry by unveiling the full-scale hypercar at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The company even put a ferocious sounding engine in it – as you can hear in his video. Even at very low revs, the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo is incredibly loud, and its quad pipes make a raw sound. The hypercar only idles around an exhibition center in this clip, but the concept still exudes an aggressive presence at such low speeds. We'd love to hear the Bugatti on the open road because the engine note probably improves as the speed climbs. The Vision Gran Turismo was a one-off, but the concept provided an early preview of the upcoming Chiron's styling. Based on spy shots, they share similar noses with narrow headlights. Both also put a visual emphasis on the oval that the A-pillar forms as it flows into the massive side intake. The Chiron cleans up the shape by removing most of the oversized ducts and spoilers, though. The brand's new hypercar finally debuts at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Bugatti might make a sedan, but definitely won't do an SUV

Hot off the reveal of the 1,500-horsepower Chiron, one would think Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer would be sleeping well. Apparently, he has something else on his mind. "I can't get the idea for a four-door limousine out of my head," the Bugatti chief told Bloomberg at the Geneva Motor Show. "It's one of the options we might look into again as a possible next project." "Limousine" translates to sedan in German, the native country of Durheimer, and Bugatti has floated the idea of a four door before. The 16C Galibier was shown in 2009, and rumors of its production approval (or delay) percolated for years. If Bugatti were to proceed with a sedan, it would likely draw on the resources of parent Volkswagen Group, perhaps sourcing the underpinnings and other hardware. Meanwhile, the chances of Bugatti doing a sport utility vehicle are zero, Bloomberg reported. When asked, Durheimer responded with a precise "no." He did suggest Bugatti might use electrification for future cars, though he didn't elaborate. For now, Bugatti is basking in the attention generated by the Chiron, the much-anticipated successor to the Veyron. The Chiron bowed this week at the Geneva Motor Show and will go on sale this fall with a base price of $2.6 million. Related Video: Related Gallery Bugatti Chiron: Geneva 2016 View 16 Photos Design/Style Geneva Motor Show Bugatti 2016 geneva motor show