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Lamborghini Urus Superveloce on the table, Asterion off

Last year Lamborghini revealed the Asterion concept at the Paris Motor Show, showcasing a new design on the surface and hybrid technology underneath. Months later, the possibility of the Asterion entering production was still reportedly on the table, but at this point the Bolognese automaker has other priorities. The company is in the midst of a massive expansion of its production facilities that will not only see it generating its own power, but also adding a new assembly line to double its output with an entirely new model. That, of course, will take the form of a crossover closely previewed by the Urus concept of 2012. But the initial version might only be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Although additional body-styles might not suit the Urus as well as it would have the Estoque (had Lamborghini gone with the four-door, front-engined sedan design instead of the crossover), the Urus could lead to a range of engine specs and orientations. "We have more than enough ideas, but it is too early to confirm anything," Lamborghini chief Stephan Winkelmann told Autocar. "All options are possible, and we will work on evaluating them in the run-up to launch. If our customers want to see something, we'll do our best to meet their needs." Considering what Lamborghini has done with its supercars, we could see an even higher-output, more performance-focused version to follow – like the latest Superveloce version of the Aventador (soon to be applied to the Aventador roadster, as well). Theoretically, that could be an Urus SV. Though the Huracan has so far (aside from racing versions) only been shown in its initial form, the preceding Gallardo resulted in more model variants than we'd care to count. In addition to a possible hybrid version, the Urus (or whatever it's ultimately called in production form) could lead to an ultra-luxury version at the other end of the spectrum. What's clear is that the Urus program is going to keep Lamborghini busy for some time to come. And while we're expecting more versions of the Huracan to follow in due course, the possibility of putting the Asterion (or some version thereof) into production as well is apparently off the table for the time being. Considering that by the time it reaches production, it will have been a good six years since the Raging Bull marque first showcased the Urus concept, the Asterion could be kept on the back burner for several more years to come.

VW has received several tentative bids for Ducati

Italy's Benetton family is vying with motorbike firms and buyout funds for control of Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, which is being sold by Germany's Volkswagen, sources involved in the process told Reuters. Volkswagen, whose Audi division controls Ducati, has received several tentative bids with the Benetton family's investment vehicle Edizione Holding valuing the Monster motorbike maker at $1.2 billion, one of the sources said. As well as Edizione Holding, U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital, which owns a stake in Ski-Doo snowmobiles maker BRB, and two Indian motorbike firms, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Auto, have also bid for Ducati, the sources said. Indian carmaker Eicher controls Royal Enfield, a motorcycle brand established in 1893 which ranks as one of the oldest. Strategic bidders also include U.S. automotive firm Polaris Industries, which earlier this year said it would wind down its struggling Victory Motorcycle brand. A shortlist of bidders for a second stage of the auction could be selected as soon as Saturday, two of the sources said. Volkswagen adviser Evercore has a long list of bidders including private equity funds such as Ducati's previous owner Investindustrial, CVC Capital Partners, Advent and PAI, all hoping to outbid industry players, the sources said. If it gets to the second round, Edizione Holding could seek to form a consortium with a financial investor, two of the sources said, in a bid to secure control of Ducati, whose racers have won the Superbike world championship 14 times, with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss its most successful riders. Audi, Edizione Holding, Investindustrial, Advent and PAI declined to comment, while the other interested groups were not immediately available for comment. PRICING CHALLENGES For some buyout funds, Ducati's valuation of up to $1.4 billion – which sources said is based on a multiple of more than 10 times its core earnings of roughly 100 million euros – is a tall order as they lack the synergies that some motorbike makers could achieve. But Investindustrial founder Andrea Bonomi, who sold Ducati to Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012, is serious about a comeback, one of the sources said. China's Loncin Motor was among a group of industry players that initially showed interest in Ducati, alongside Harley-Davidson. The latter has, however, decided against making a bid due to Ducati's price tag, while it could not be established if Loncin Motor had carried on bidding.

The Lamborghini Huracan Performante lapped the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes

Lamborghini just released new footage of its Huracan Performante at the Nurburgring, and along with it some big news. The car managed to lap the 'Ring in a stunningly quick time of 6:52. That time puts it ahead of the Porsche 918 Spyder's record of 6:57 by a massive 5 seconds. It's also just 4 seconds shy of the Radical SR8LM, which barely qualifies as a street-legal car. Though the Huracan Performante isn't the first Lamborghini to crack the seven-minute mark at the Nurburgring, it's done it by the largest margin. The Aventador LP750-4 SV was the first Lambo under 7 minutes with a time of 6:59.73. Lamborghini hasn't released specifications for this new Huracan, but it reportedly produces 630 horsepower from a V10 engine, which is substantially less than its slower 740-horsepower Aventador SV sibling. Odds are it was helped on the track by lighter weight, and the reported active aerodynamics on-board. Check out the video above in its entirety. And then check back during the Geneva Show to see the full reveal of this monstrously fast Lambo. Related Video: