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The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ First Drive Review | Worth its weight in carbon fiber

Relentless. If we were to define Lamborghini in 2018, this is the word we'd choose. Led by the indefatigable head of research and development, Maurizio Reggiani, the engineering team at Sant'Agata Bolognese are constantly iterating current models — futzing, enhancing, testing. Give them a problem and they'll hammer away at it. The Aventador has been one of those problems. The V12 flagship was released in 2011 and shone far more for its sharp-edged Lambo-tastic design than its sharp handling. If we were looking for a word to describe that first iteration, we'd say ... wanting. Which brings us to the Autodromo do Estoril in Portugal on a sunny day in September. We're here to drive the new Aventador SVJ, first shown this year at Pebble Beach. It is the fourth major non-roadster model, following the SV and the S. Lamborghini promises that the SVJ is the ultimate Aventador. The fixed Aventador. Or mostly, says Reggiani. "I'm not that arrogant to say that everything is perfect. There's always something that could be better." He shrugs, then smiles. "But our goal is to synchronize all the improvements and create something unique, something special." The SVJ's naturally breathing V12 makes 759 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is 217 mph, and 62 mph arrives in 2.8 seconds. The price, without taxes or extra bits of carbon fiber or seats in novel shades of purple, starts at $517,770. Reggiani and friends have come to the conclusion that the obvious formula of shedding weight while adding power can only take you so far. (That's what they did with the SV and it's only middling.) Hence the SVJ gets every new trick that the company has engineered as of late, including aero vectoring, rear-wheel-steer and all-wheel-drive. And it's already netted results. The SVJ snatched the production-car 'Ring record from the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with a time of 6:44.97. The track surface at Estoril was resurfaced only weeks ago, and oils from the asphalt are weeping out onto the surface. This has caused great consternation among the Lamborghini camp, as grip is closer to driving on glass than nice stubbly tarmac. On my first set of laps, a pro driver suggests that I leave the car in sport mode, which sends more power to the rear wheels. "Easier to turn in," he suggests, as the front wheels are having trouble gaining traction on the slick surface.

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato shows its off-road-friendly design

The all-terrain Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is nearly ready to make its debut. The supercar's final (and most extreme) evolution will break cover on November 30 in Florida, and a batch of photos showing the coupe without camouflage reveals how designers SUV-ified a supercar. We've never seen anything quite like the Huracan Sterrato; at least not in showrooms. Lamborghini previewed the model in June 2019 by unveiling a close-to-production concept, and it's clear that the overall design hasn't changed much in the past three years. Sitting far higher than the average supercar, the Sterrato gets a pair of LED driving lights up front, wheel arch flares, specific side skirts, and roof rails. These styling cues were previewed by the concept, but the air scoop seemingly connected to the engine bay is a new addition to the look. Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato View 4 Photos It's reasonable to assume that there's much more going on than meets the eye. We're impatient to find out how Lamborghini modified the Huracan's suspension system for off-road use, for example. And, there's no word yet on what the model is powered by. Our crystal ball tells us it's a version of the standard car's naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 but it's too early to provide horsepower and torque figures. The Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is scheduled to make full its debut at Art Basel show in Miami, Florida, on November 30, 2022. It will be the last evolution of the Huracan; its successor is due out in the coming years. Official details remain few and far between, but an unofficial report claims the upcoming new model will land with an 850-horsepower gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The birth of a new segment? The idea of a supercar that keeps going after the pavement ends is unconventional; for decades, supercars were bound to roads while SUVs and pickup trucks were designed to go off-road. There have been a handful of notable exceptions to this rule, the mega-obscure Mega Track built in France in the 1990s comes to mind, but the idea didn't catch on until recently. Volkswagen-owned Italdesign Giugiaro alchemized the Lamborghini Gallardo into an off-roader called Parcour at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and Audi followed-up with the Nanuk concept later that year. Fast-forward to 2022 and Porsche wants a slice of this segment, too: it's preparing a 911 on stilts called Dakar. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.