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VW makes $23K on every Porsche sold, more than Bentley or Lamborghini

It's a good time to be in the luxury car business. In Volkswagen Group's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year, it is revealed that that Porsche enjoyed an operating margin of 18 percent. That means the Stuttgart brand made on average about $23,200 per car sold, according to BusinessWeek. Bentley wasn't far behind, and Audi (which was combined with Lamborghini) posted a 10.1 percent margin. This compares to only around 2.9 percent for the Volkswagen brand.
"Luxury brands are on fire," said Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst at AutoPacific. He said that the average profit margin is between six and eight percent. Brands like Porsche and Bentley have the benefit of competing in rarefied markets. Buyers looking at one their vehicles have fewer models to shop against and don't care as much about price. They can also charge more for options, which further boosts income, according to BusinessWeek.
In a way, we should be more impressed by the continued success from Audi. Its models generally have direct competitors in every segment from the other premium automakers. Plus, their buyers aren't the captains of industry who are shopping for a Bentley. Still, the Four Rings is leading rivals in sales so far this year.

Lamborghini takes Veneno out to play on wet Vallelunga [w/video]

With only four examples in existence, you're not very likely to ever see a Lamborghini Veneno roaming your local highways and byways. That's what makes this clip a little out of the ordinary.
Lamborghini brought the super-rare supercar out to the Vallelunga circuit near Rome for the World Finals of its Super Trofeo series, where, incidentally, American driver Andrew Palmer beat out the competition from Europe and Asia to claim the world title. Prospective buyers for the even more expensive Veneno Roadster were taken for laps to give them a taste of what to expect, because with no roof whatsoever, the open-top supercar wouldn't be our choice for a drive in the rain.
Lambo also brought out the Sesto Elemento, the previous release from the company's new prototype development center, to play on the wet track alongside the anthracite Veneno that remains the company's property. Check out the action in the image gallery above and the video below.

Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo gets teaser trailer before Pebble Beach debut

Lamborghini first tipped us to the coming arrival of its race-ready Huracán Super Trofeo, with this dark-and-camouflaged teaser image a few weeks back. Slated to replace the venerable Gallardo Super Trofeo in the brand's one-make series, the Huracán flavored for racing duty should result in a faster field.
However, before the new Super Trofeo car debuts on host circuits for the North American, European and Asian iterations of the series, it'll get a share of the spotlight at Pebble Beach. Lamborghini is scheduled to pull the wrapper off its new racecar at The Quail on August 15 - an event we're sure to be in attendance for.
Until then, we can offer up one more pulse-pounding teaser of the new Huracán, in the form of a new official video. The Super Trofeo Lamborghini is still wearing its under cover uniform in this bit, and the camera darts from focus to blur with irritating regularity, but you'll get the idea.