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Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Chevrolet's new commercial for the 2014 Spark EV emphasizes the little hatchback's performance over pretty much everything else, and it even goes as far as to compare it to a Ferrari 458 Italia. That's right, the electric bubble is pitched in the commercial as having a higher torque figure than the Ferrari - and it does, with a massive 400 pound-feet ready to be unleashed.
That doesn't translate into a quicker car, however, as the 458's V8 with 570 horsepower and not-exactly-quaint 398 lb-ft gives it a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds compared to the Spark EV's 7.6-second run.
"We think the fun-to-drive element is an area for us to differentiate ourselves," Sam Basile, executive chief engineer for GM's global minicars and emerging-market vehicles, told Automotive News.

At Lamborghini, gasoline is going, going, gone

Those who've waited this long to plunk down a deposit on a Lamborghini with a full combustion motor have waited too long. For six decades, the Italian brand, founded in 1963 to compete with Ferrari, delivered V8s, V10s and V12 gasoline powered engines to its aficionados. But as of now, its official: the order books have closed on Lambo’s Huracan and Urus models. Stephan Winkelmann, head of the Volkswagen subsidiary, informed the German newspaper WELT this week that all ICE models are now sold out until the end of their production cycle. Only hybrid and electric vehicles will be made from next year and transitioning to the end of the decade. The 2023 Huracan with its 631 horsepower V-10 is starting priced at about $210,000. To prepare for the switch to hybrid power, Lamborghini has invested “at least 1.8 billion Euros,” which is about $2 billion, to produce a lineup of hybrid vehicles ready for release by late 2024 and into 2025. The companyÂ’s next hybrid model is the Revuelto, which pairs a V12 engine with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The brand anticipates offering a fully electric car “by the end of the decade,” Winkelmann has said. Globally, Lamborghini delivered 9233 vehicles in 2022, up from 8420 the previous year. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Ferrari Lamborghini Fuel Efficiency Green Automakers Automotive History Future Vehicles Performance

Marchionne's FCA-GM merger might come after Ferrari spinoff

Sergio Marchionne is continuing to rumble about working out a merger with General Motors, but don't expect anything big to happen before at least early next year. That's because Marchionne would likely wait for the Ferrari spin-off to be complete before beginning his next big deal, according to Automotive News. While the Ferrari IPO on the New York Stock Exchange is expected in the coming weeks, that only concerns 10 percent of the shares. The remaining 80 percent of stock is being distributed among shareholders in 2016. Piero Ferrari holds the final 10 percent with no intention to sell. This strategy allows FCA to claim 80 percent of the Prancing Horse's profits in the automaker's 2015 financial results. According to Automotive News, the tactic has other advantages, as well. FCA would be flush with cash by waiting for the spin-off to be complete, and it would keep Ferrari separate if a GM merger actually happens. Marchionne thinks Ferrari could be valued at over $11 billion in the IPO, and it could make FCA $3.3 billion richer when complete. Marchionne believes a combined FCA/GM could sell 17 million vehicles a year globally and rake in $30 billion in earnings. In the CEO's opinion, the two automakers are wasting money by developing components to do the same things on their vehicles. Although, so far the General's top execs are rebuffing all of his advances.