2021 Lamborghini Huracan Sto 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:

Lamborghini Huracan SV spied looking aggressive

Despite the production fate of the Lamborghini Urus seemingly in limbo, Lamborghini isn't waiting around for another project to work on. The Aventador SV Roadster has already been spotted in the arctic, and our spies just snapped this hotter Huracan in testing, as well. Except for the stickers on the body and larger front brake calipers, this Huracan looks mostly stock... at first glance. However, once your eyes move to the rear end, there's something very peculiar. You can see a camouflaged area at the back with mesh covering it that's above the standard diffuser. Behind that, spotting the two exhaust tips is quite easy. This look shares a strong resemblance with the Huracan GT3 racecar and suggests the lower pipes on this mule might just be for show. The exact name for this special Huracan is a mystery for the moment. Lamborghini tends to reserve the SV name for its V12 models, while the V10s get the Superleggera moniker. However, the Blancpain decal on the door could suggest a relationship with either the GT3 or possibly the Super Trofeo racers. Since both of them are rear-wheel drive, this could be some confirmation for that rumored version of the road car.

Lamborghini Urus S Road Test: The less-than-raging bull

It’s no secret that the Lamborghini Urus is its brandÂ’s most successful model ever if weÂ’re going by sheer sales volume. The SUVÂ’s been finding homes at a rate unlike any Lamborghini before it, which is something anyone couldÂ’ve seen coming when it launched here about seven-odd years ago – thanks for kickstarting the trend, Porsche. Now, the launch of the Urus S and Urus Performante (the latter weÂ’ve already reviewed) are finally giving original Urus owners an option to upgrade to. Its “S” nomenclature might sound like itÂ’s a new trim level, but youÂ’re better off thinking of it as representing the mid-cycle refresh of the Urus, as there is no simple “Urus” anymore. Your options are now either the S or the Performante. The SE plug-in hybrid will join the party eventually, but thatÂ’s not until the 2025 model year. The list of “whatÂ’s new” is a short one, but the changes are some your neighbors might notice. For example, the S gets a new front end thatÂ’s less busy and simpler in nature with horizontal slats across the bumper/grille being the dominating pattern. ItÂ’s arguably a touch less obnoxious looking, though itÂ’s the opposite around back. The new rear diffuser has more strakes, features a honeycomb garnish, and the rear bumper has some extra-spicy-looking vents that are integrated into the rear wheel surrounds. ItÂ’s an aggressive look and serves to visually widen the carÂ’s stance. Nothing much changes along its sides, but a subtle “S” logo makes its way to the rocker panels to designate this Urus as the updated one. Designers didnÂ’t take any chances, though would-be buyers can with a massively expanded selection of colors, wheels, style packages and material customization options. This extended level of choices carries into the interior, where Lamborghini touts a similar degree of individualization expansion. Beyond the aesthetics, the Urus S enjoys the PerformanteÂ’s revised 4.0-liter twin-turbo . Output stands at 657 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, amounting to a 16-pony increase over the previous Urus and a one-tenth reduction in the 0-62 mph time that now stands at 3.5 seconds. Its eight-speed automatic transmission carries over, so yes, this powertrain is still the same as seen in various Porsche/Audi/Bentleys. Of course, that doesnÂ’t mean that it didnÂ’t go to Lamborghini finishing school.