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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.

GMC Sierra electric pickup previewed, will launch in Denali trim

An electric GMC Sierra Denali is coming, and this is our first look at the fully-electric pickup truck. It’ll be the second electric pickup from GMC, following the Hummer EV pickup that is about to launch. GMC didnÂ’t reveal much about the EV, but it did say that the electric Sierra will launch exclusively in Denali trim. That means you shouldnÂ’t expect to buy any cheaper versions of the truck in the immediate future. Denali is extremely popular among GMC buyers, though, so this being the exclusive offering probably wonÂ’t hurt GMCÂ’s sales prospects too badly. Beyond the trim, GMC also says the truck will be built on the Ultium platform, which is a given these days for new electric GM vehicles. As for the image and teaser video (see the video below), GMC gives us a fairly clear view of what the electric SierraÂ’s front end will look like. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. ItÂ’s no surprise to see the “grille” has been transformed into a shield of sorts. That shield is then flanked by a pair of giant LEDs that wrap around the edges of the top front corner. The turn signals are also previewed, as they blink in three-dot fashion on the front bumper. We can also see some fairly aggressive hood sculpting shrouded in shadow. And thatÂ’s about it. GMC says the electric Sierra will be fully revealed next year, but doesnÂ’t provide an exact date. We already know the electric Silverado is coming to CES in January, though, so we suspect many questions about the GMC version will be answered then. When the electric Sierra does come out, GM says it will be producing them at its assembly plant in Detroit and Hamtramck, MI. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Google Earth helps sheriff's department find stolen car [w/video]

A stolen-vehicle case opened back in March was recently solved with the help of a property owner using Google Earth, a virtual globe and mapping service similar to Google Maps, ABC News reports. The man, who remains anonymous, found the stolen GMC Yukon while he was surveying his property in George County, Mississippi, using the map service and, judging by the top-down satellite image, thought he found a "shooting house" on his hunting grounds.
When he drove out to the suspicious structure, he realized it actually was a sport utility vehicle wedged in thick brush about 70 yards from the nearest road, so he called the police.
Law enforcement officers had arrested a female suspect in the case earlier based on eyewitness accounts, but didn't prosecute her because the stolen SUV hadn't been found. Ben Brown, a lieutenant detective with the George County Sheriff's Department, says that he ran the plates and confirmed the SUV was the stolen vehicle the department had been looking for.