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Santa upgrades to Lamborghini Gallardo, spreads joy in LA

We understand. It's hard to slow down and really take in the holiday season, so it often comes and goes in a blur. That's especially so in Los Angeles, where almost everything moves fast and you feel like a face in the crowd. Determined to keep up with the fast pace and be noticed, one Santa Clause and his "elf" assistant decided to upgrade their "sleigh" - to a Lamborghini Gallardo (no reindeer needed).
We commend Santa's choice in the beloved Lamborghini and think Los Angelenos did notice him (though we're not sure he wanted to be approached by Freddy Krueger up there). Head below to watch Santa and his helper spread holiday joy with V10-powered goodness.

Lamborghini Huracan Performante's active aero is the secret to its speed

The most revolutionary real technology at this year's Geneva Motor Show didn't look like it on the show stand. If you squint at the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, it merely looks like a Huracan with a big wing. Up close, you can see the fractal texture of the forged-composite aerodynamic add-ons, but that still doesn't tell you why this car is so special. Lamborghini calls it Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), or active aerodynamics. This is one of the biggest keys to the Performante's claimed production-car record lap time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife of 6 minutes, 52.01 seconds. The Huracan Performante's number is not without controversy, but I personally care very little about the obsessive phallic-measuring contests that are 'Ring lap times. What's fascinating about the Performante is that, if the lap time is even close to legitimate, it shows that ALA is a major step forward in automotive performance. More than just lap times, the Huracan Performante is an example of why Lamborghini remains special in a world of democratized performance. We sat down to discuss this with Lamborghini's Research and Development Director, Maurizio Reggiani. And one last note on the lap time: Reggiani says with the same temperature and exclusive access to a dry track, "that in this average of speed we can repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat." In previous conversations, Reggiani said that the key difference in performance would come not from horsepower, but weight reduction. For Lamborghini, that means plenty of carbon fiber. But the newest Huracan is not a Superleggera, the old title for the hardcore variant. "Superleggera is too much an objective, a description. Performante is really the DNA of the car. In Italian, Performante means really the best performance," he said. Reggiani continues, "Nothing happened by chance. It's really a building-block approach where you say this can give this contribution, this can give that. Where can you improve something and what is needed to improve something?" That brought them to the active aerodynamics solution, which channels air to stall the front or rear aero elements of the car to change the downforce and drag. Reggiani says, "This can be achieved only with a system that is really light, [has] fast responsiveness. Based on this ...

Chinese automaker readies a Lamborghini Urus fake

Do you love the absurd angular looks of the Lamborghini Urus, but don't have anywhere near the $200,000 needed to buy one? We have good news, then. A Chinese automaker is building a knockoff that costs about a tenth the price. Of course, you'll probably have to go to China to own and drive it. According to carnewschina.com, the vehicle in question comes from Huansu, one of several brands under major Chinese automaker BAIC. The company's name translates to "Magic Speed" according to the news outlet, as well as a Google translated version of PCAuto, a Chinese car news website. The model name is reportedly called C60, but it also has the name Hyosow on the back. It certainly hits the design on the head. Or at least 90 percent of the head. The silhouette of the grille is nearly identical, but it picks up a quartet of LED foglights on each side. The massive hexagons in the Lamborghini's grille are replaced with slats. The headlights are similar with individual LEDs, but the shape is much simpler. Continuing around the side, the Lambo's triangular fender vents have morphed into something that looks more like a shovel. The doppelganger lacks some of the sharp creases of the Italian car, and the resemblance really starts falling apart at the back. The large taillights of the Huansu have some of the angular lighting designs of the Lamborghini, but they aren't nearly as striking as the Lambo's narrow elements. There aren't any big vents, and the diffuser is far more boring on the Huansu. All that being said, though, this sucker is a blatant knockoff, regardless of how accurate it is or isn't. Despite a name like "Magic Speed," we don't expect this C60 Hyosow will have much of it, since it will reportedly have just a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 195 horsepower. At least it will be practical, housing between 5 and 7 people depending on how it's equipped. And of course, it's way cheaper. Converting Car News China's price estimate to U.S. dollars, the Huansu will only cost between $15,000 and $24,000. It may be a shameless knockoff, but we have to admit it probably isn't going to cost Lamborghini sales. People with Toyota Corolla money aren't on the verge of buying a supercar anytime soon. The official reveal of the SUV will be on June 6 at the Chongqing auto show, according to PCAuto. Related Video: News Source: China Car News, PCAuto Lamborghini Crossover SUV chinese copy