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Volkswagen may 'carve out' Lamborghini to list on the stock exchange

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen is drawing up plans to set up Lamborghini as a more independent unit, and is discussing long-term supply deals that could make it easier to list it on the stock exchange, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. "Volkswagen is in the process of carving out Lamborghini, and to organize future supply and technology transfer deals," one of the sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Italian sportscar brand, which is currently a division of Audi, could be partially listed, with Volkswagen retaining a controlling stake, the first person familiar with the talks said. There is no formal decision to divest Lamborghini, a second source said, adding that the timetable of any deal remained unclear. "This is a first step which gives VW the option to list the unit further down the line," the second source told Reuters. A third source familiar with the discussions said the future of Bugatti, Lamborghini and Ducati was discussed during a supervisory board meeting last Friday. The possibilities for how to electrify the Lamborghini and Bugatti brands through partnerships and investors was discussed, the third source said. Bankers and potential cornerstone investors in an IPO have been approached by the carmaker, the sources said. Volkswagen declined to comment. Volkswagen Group's Chief Executive Herbert Diess on Wednesday said the carmaker will announce "important steps" about the company's future before the close of the year. Volkswagen is reviewing what role its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati will play within the multi-brand carmaker as part of broader quest for more economies of scale, senior executives told Reuters. A global clampdown on combustion-engined vehicles has forced carmakers to accelerate development of low-emission technology for mainstream models, leaving Volkswagen managers struggling to find resources to electrify low volume sportscar models. Related Video:

As VW electrifies, it questions the role of Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen needs to change to stay relevant in the electric and digital vehicle era and will announce "important steps" to that end before the close of the year, Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Wednesday. "Volkswagen needs to change: From a collection of valuable brands and fascinating combustion-engine products that thrill customers with superb engineering — to a digital company that reliably operates millions of mobility devices worldwide," Diess told shareholders at the company's virtual general meeting. Vehicles need to stay in contact with customers, offer new services and comfort functions on a weekly or even daily basis, he said. "We will take further important steps to set the course for this in the rest of 2020," Diess said. Senior executives told Reuters the company is reviewing what role its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati will play as the company increasingly focuses on electric, digital and autonomous vehicles. Volkswagen, which also owns VW, Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda, is looking at whether it has the resources to accelerate development of electric platforms for smaller brands at a time it is investing billions to transform its more mainstream cars. Asked whether Ducati, which is known for making noisy combustion-engined motorbikes, has an electric future, Markus Duesmann, who oversees research and development for the group, said: "It will not take long until we see an electric Ducati." Whether Ducati, which is a medium-sized premium motorbike brand, would offer an electric variant, depends on whether a bike could offer range comparable to a combustion-engined variant, Duesmann said. Advances are being made in battery technology which could make this possible, he added. Separately Frank Witter, the company's chief financial officer, in response to a question about whether a sale of Lamborghini is planned, said Volkswagen does not comment on speculation about potential divestments. Lamborghini's Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali this week announced his departure from the sports car maker to take on a new job as president of Formula One. VW needs cash Volkswagen is reviewing the future of these three high-performance brands as part of broader quest for more economies of scale as it shifts to mass producing electric cars, senior executives told Reuters.

2021 Lamborghini Urus Graphite Capsule is all about contrast

There are seemingly two reasons to buy a 2021 Lamborghini Urus. One is for the performance. The other is to stand out. The Urus does both well, but Lamborghini hopes the new Graphite Capsule model will further enhance the big Lambo's ability to catch attention. On the outside, the Urus Graphite Caspule gets one of four matte-finish paint colors for the main body, and one of four gloss paint colors for the accents, which are restricted to the front splitter, door trims, rear spoiler and wheel rims. The matte finishes come in black, white or a choice of two grays, and the accents are available in green, yellow or two choices of orange. The monochrome base paints let the boldly colored accents really pop. The exterior color scheme is reflected on the inside, where all the stitching and a few seat, dash and door panels are given the same color as the outside accents. The rest is finished in black. The aluminum trim is given a dark anodized finish, and the interior carbon fiber has a matte finish. A special option exclusive to the Graphite Capsule, as well as the Pearl Capsule model, is ventilated seats upholstered in Alcantara. Pricing has not been announced. Exact availability is also unknown, but it will be available on the current 2021 model. So it should be available very soon. Related Video:

Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 is an 830-horsepower track weapon

Following in the footsteps of the likes of the Diablo GTR and the Miura Jota, the new Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 is the latest limited-run, uber-performance GT car that offers more power than any other naturally aspirated V12 model Lamborghini has ever produced. To say the Essenza SCV12 is purpose-built would be understating it. From the carbon fiber monocoque and the adjustable aerodynamics to the structurally integral gearbox, everything about the Essenza SCV12 was engineered expressly for speed by Lamborghini's motorsports division. Lamborghini says the V12 actually makes more than 830 horsepower, but didn't offer us anything more specific. Its multi-function wheel was even inspired by the control interfaces found in Formula One, and the rest of the cockpit is similarly racecar-spartan, down to the FIA-homologated carbon-shell seats. The exterior bodywork comprises just three sections to facilitate quick repair and replacement. All four wheels are magnesium alloy and the brakes were developed by Brembo. "Essenza SCV12 represents the purest track driving experience that our brand can offer, an engineering feat that highlights the inextricable link between our cars and the asphalt of the track," said Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali in the company's announcement. "Lamborghini is a brand constantly looking to the future and searching for new challenges, but we never forget our roots and who we are: Essenza SCV12 is the perfect combination of our unconventional spirit as a super sports car manufacturer and our true passion for motorsport." The Essenza SCV12 puts all 830 horsepower to the ground via the rear wheels. The aforementioned structural gearbox is a six-speed sequential unit and the mounting point for the rear pushrod suspension. The aero elements, which were borrowed (with modifications, of course) from Lamborghini's racing cars, produce more than 2,600 pounds of downforce at 155 MPH — more than you get from the aero on a GT3 race car.  Making the deal even sweeter is the fact that purchasing one of these 40 Essenza SCV12s also confers access to a series of exclusive track events along with storage space in a new building (a hangar, Lamborghini says) that the company has built at its facility in SantÂ’Agata Bolognese.  "We wanted to elevate not only performance and driving pleasure but also the experience off the track," said Giorgio Sanna, Head of Lamborghini Motorsport.

Florida Man accused of buying Lamborghini with coronavirus relief funds

We'll preface this by saying that when things work as they're meant to, we don't hear about them. When it comes to the Paycheck Protection Program, created as part of the CARES Act in March to provide loans to businesses to pay employees during the coronavirus lockdown, that means many jobs were saved but we also get stories of honest businesspeople unable to get loans or blackguards abusing the program. This story is the latter. David T. Hines, a 29-year-old Miami man with four businesses, applied for PPP funds in May. He received about $3.9 million in loans, and blew about $500,000 of that before the government began investigating and his bank froze his accounts. Instead of applying for loans to cover monthly expenditures of about $200,000 among his four moving-related companies, the feds say, Hines' four applications through Bank of America claimed combined monthly expenses of $4 million to pay 70 employees. BofA approved three of the four submissions. After the government made its first of three planned deposits of $3,984,557 into Hines' Bank of America account, Hines continued requesting more money, authorities say, ultimately seeking $13.54 million.  The spending began almost immediately after the PPP disbursement. As far as the government could tell by going through Hines' records, none of the money was spent on employees who "either did not exist or earned a fraction of what Hines claimed in his PPP applications.” Instead, officials say, Hines picked up a blue Lamborghini Huracan Evo for $318,497. He paid a person he listed as "Mom" $60,000. Saks Fifth Avenue got another $4,000. In June, $8,500 went to the Graff jewelry boutique, and $7,000 went to Miami's Setai hotel. The disbursement problem has arisen because the Small Business Administration that backs the PPP loans doesn't verify the claims in the applications, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Berger. How did Hines get caught, then? He got into a hit-and-run accident in his blue Lamborghini in July, and Miami police impounded the car. That eventually attracted investigation from no less than six governmental departments: the FDIC-OIG, USPIS, IRS-CI, the SBA-OIG, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-OIG. The U.S.

2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago is all about the hexagons

Every modern-day hypercar needs to have loads of limited-production special editions. Even the most exclusive cars such as the Bugatti Chiron aren't exclusive enough. And as a result of needing to satiate the demand for special hypercars, there are some odd limited editions. The latest is the 2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago Edition. It's special because of hexagons. Well, it's not just hexagons. It also celebrates Lamborghini's Ad Personam customization program and the fact that customers can now participate in the program virtually instead of flying out to Italy. As it so happens, this special Aventador can only be ordered through the virtual version of the program. So what's the connection between an online customization program and hexagons? We have no idea. And the connection is more tenuous when you see that Lamborghini says its hexagonal patterns for the car were inspired by the hexagonal clouds on Saturn's north pole. Yes, you read that right. Oh, and the name? We also don't know, but it might just be that they're the middle letters of Lamborghini's design theme called "hexagonita." Among the hexagon details are silver patterns that fade in and out on the paint. The interior upholstery features a hexagonal pattern all the way down, too. Outside of that, the customer gets to pick the paint colors, which will also be reflected by contrast panels on the seats. Otherwise, it's a regular Aventador SVJ, which is still pretty exciting with a blistering Nurburgring lap time and 770 horsepower. Only 10 of these hexagonal Aventadors will be built, and that leaves us a bit vexed. Shouldn't Lamborghini build a number of these cars divisible by six? A very mild hex upon the person that missed the opportunity to sextuple down on the hexagon theme. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.      

Lamborghini explains why the Sian is not a preview of its next design language

Lamborghini pushed the boundaries of its design language with the sold-out Sian, but its head designer explained the project's goal wasn't to preview future cars. The company's first hybrid model will remain its own thing. "With the Sian, with the coupe and now the Roadster, we have closed this project. It is a masterpiece, we have a very special color for each, but this language is just for the Sian. Whatever we design in the future, we will follow the design DNA of Lamborghini. Just to repeat the Sian one more time would be way too easy, the expectations here at Lamborghini are much higher, so the future is always open," design boss Mitja Borkert told Autoblog. Lamborghini will make 19 examples of the Sian Roadster, and 63 units of the coupe, numbers chosen because the company was founded in 1963. Borkert's team designed the model with a high degree of customization in mind to ensure no two examples are exactly alike. Once they're assigned a build slot, buyers will work directly with Lamborghini's designers and its Ad Personam personalization department to configure their car. "The Sian is really something I want to turn into a masterpiece. My personal promise is that each and every car will be completely unique in terms of look, in terms of color, and in terms of material," Borkert assured us. Lamborghini Sian Roadster View 13 Photos Meanwhile, work on the Aventador's replacement — whose name hasn't been revealed — continues, and we hear it's about a year from making its debut. Although it won't look anything like the Sian, Lamborghini previously confirmed the model will arrive as a hybrid in order to offer more power than its predecessor without summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators. Technical details about the gasoline-electric technology it will use haven't been announced yet, but hybrid systems will play a large role in the company's future range. "This kind of hybridization will be fundamental in order to respect all of the rules, and to guarantee that our DNA is protected," affirmed Maurizio Reggiani, the head of Lamborghini's research and development department. He again stressed that getting rid of the V12 — or turbocharging/supercharging it — is completely out of the question.   Like every carmaker, Lamborghini was caught off-guard by the on-going coronavirus pandemic and the lock-downs enforced globally in a bid to prevent the disease from spreading.

Hybrid Sian Roadster becomes Lamborghini's most powerful convertible

Lamborghini chopped off the Sian's top to create its most powerful convertible model to date. The limited-edition Sian Roadster features an innovative hybrid powertrain and a wide panoply of customization options. Viewed from the front, the Roadster is nearly identical to the Sian coupe introduced at the 2019 edition of the Frankfurt auto show. Its long, low nose wears a carbon fiber splitter and Y-shaped LED headlights. It's the same story out back, where the shape of the lights again draws a subtle parallel between the Sian and the Countach built between 1974 and 1990. The engine remains visible through a horizontal wings made with carbon fiber, but they're flanked by deep scoops that start right behind the occupants and flow into a set of air vents. Surprisingly, the Roadster is just as aerodynamic as the coupe. Autoblog learned it will not come with any kind of roof. Technology reigns supreme in the cabin. The driver sits in front of a digital, configurable instrument cluster, and a touchscreen integrated into the slanted center stack displays the infotainment system Lamborghini designed in-house. The air vents are 3D-printed, and buyers can customize them by adding their initials. Nearly every part of the interior can be personalized, including the upholstery and the type of the materials used to make trim pieces. Mitja Borkert, the head of Lamborghini's design department, previously promised no two examples of the Sian coupe will be identical. It's reasonable to assume that every Roadster will be equally unique. The Sian lost its top without losing any of its mechanical panache. The Roadster is identical to the coupe, meaning it's equipped with Lamborghini's first production-bound hybrid system. The powertrain consists of a mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated V12 engine and an electric motor integrated into the transmission. It draws electricity from a supercapacitor to inject 34 horses into the driveline, bringing the setup's total output to 819 horsepower. Lamborghini quotes a 2.9-second sprint from zero to 62 mph, and a 217-mph top speed. Using a supercapacitor instead of a lithium-ion battery pack is not the easiest or cheapest way to build a hybrid, but engineers claim it's the best solution. It's three times more powerful than a battery with a comparable weight; put another way, it's three times lighter than one with a similar power output.

Lamborghini will introduce a mysterious new model tomorrow

As the global automotive industry gradually emerges from months of COVID-19-related lockdowns, carmakers are beginning to unveil the models they should have shown us at the auto shows that were canceled during the first half of 2020. Lamborghini published a close-up of a mysterious new model on its official Twitter page, and it announced plans to unveil the car on its various social media channels on July 8 — that is, tomorrow.  "The future is here, and it is unlike anything the world may have seen before," the company wrote. While that's not a lot to start with, the winglet shown in the preview image looks suspiciously like the ones fitted to the limited-edition Sian FKP 37 introduced at the 2019 Frankfurt auto show. It stood out as Lamborghini's first production-bound hybrid model, and the V12-electric system's 819-horsepower output made it the firm's most powerful car. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lamborghini can take the Sian in a number of directions. It could make the coupe lighter and more track-focused, for example. Alternatively, unverified rumors claim a convertible model is around the corner. Or, considering stylists put a huge emphasis on customization, it could merely show us the first customer-bound example. Although it's less than a year old, the Sian has already spawned several surprising derivatives, including a 3,696-piece Lego Technic kit that's over 23 inches long, and a 53,000-pound twin-engined yacht with 4,000 horsepower. Intrigued? So are we. Lamborghini will stream the event live on its official website and on its social media channels starting on July 8, 2020, at 6 p.m. in Bologna, which is 12 p.m. in New York City and 9 a.m. in Los Angeles. Regardless of what we'll discover, there is a high chance it will be sold out by the time it's unveiled.  Green Lamborghini Convertible Coupe Future Vehicles Hybrid

Lamborghini yacht by Tecnomar is 4,000-hp tribute to the Lambo Sian FKP 37

Lamborghini is no stranger to the boating industry, it developed a pair of marine engines in the 1980s, but it has never made its own boat. It took a step toward the world of yachts when it teamed with Italian firm Tecnomar to design a high-performance vessel inspired by the limited-edition Sian FKP 37 introduced in 2019. It's quick, rare, and head-turning, and it was deemed worth of wearing the company's Raging Bull emblem on its bow. Tecnomar (a boatmaker owned by The Italian Sea Group) worked directly with Lamborghini's Centro Stile to inject some of the design DNA that characterizes Sant'Agata's supercars into a yacht. The end result stands out with a strikingly rakish silhouette, Y-shaped LED lights on the front part of the hull, and hexagonal glass on both sides. They draw a visual link between the yacht and Marcello Gandini-designed cars such as the Miura and the Countach. Settling into the captain's chair feels a lot like slipping behind the wheel of a modern-day Lamborghini, except you're sitting taller, you're floating on water, and there's a lot more space around you. In lieu of an old-fashioned wooden helm, Tecnomar installed a three-spoke steering wheel that looks a lot like the unit Lamborghini currently puts in its cars. It even has a 12-o'clock mark, which seems more than a little superfluous when you're motorboating. Digital gauges display vital information about the boat and its surroundings, including navigation data, and the throttle levers are reminiscent of the drive mode selectors found on the center console of the Urus.     Buttons lifted straight out of the Lamborghini parts bin are used to start the engines -- and, yes, that's plural. While the Sian is the company's first production-bound hybrid model, there is nothing electrified about its water-going sibling. Power comes from a pair of V12 engines built by MAN and each rated at 2,000 horsepower. Performance specifications haven't been released yet, but it sounds like the yacht needs a 4,000-horse punch because it's 63 feet long and it weighs about 53,000 pounds. It's relatively light all things considered thanks in part to the use of carbon fiber in its construction, and it falls in the ultra-lightweight boat category. Tecnomar expects to deliver the first boats in early 2021. It capped production at 63 units globally, and it priced each one at $3 million before options are factored in.