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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 reveals Aventador Nazionale in Beijing

Special editions have proven themselves a great way for high-end automakers to get a little bit more for their wares, but they appear to be gradually being taken over by personalization programs that allow customers to order their exotic new wheels just as they want them. After all, what's the point in ordering a special color scheme someone else has chosen when you can choose it yourself, with special wheels and interior upholstery to match?
Lamborghini has just such a program. It's called Ad Personam, and like the customization catalogs offered by other automakers, it allows its clients to specify any range of stylistic parameters to suit their own taste. To showcase the program, Lamborghini brought a customized Aventador to the Beijing Motor Show. Called the Nazionale edition, it's got a white paintjob with tricolore racing stripes up the hood, anthracite wheels, and a blue leather interior.
It's similar to the Gallardo Tricolore that rolled out of Sant'Agata three years ago - the kind of treatment we'd otherwise call a special edition, but despite carrying a different name, it just goes to show the possibilities Lamborghini offers it customers. For the right price, of course.

How to change the oil in a Lamborghini Huracan: carefully

There are eight oil drain plugs on the underside of the Lamborghini Huracan. And to even get to those drain plugs, 3 covers and about 50 bolts have to first be removed. Suffice it to say, then, that changing the oil in a supercar like the Huracan is a tedious process. And you won't be taking the car to your local Jiffy Lube. Royal Exotic Cars Fleet Manager Jesse Tang was recently filmed changing the oil in a Huracan that the company uses as a rental vehicle in Las Vegas. "It's kinda an expensive car for you to mess up, so ... we don't want to mess up," he says. And so Tang takes his time, checks to make sure he drains a full nine quarts of oil before buttoning everything back up and pouring fresh dino juice back inside the engine. While it's not quite as complicated or as expensive as changing the oil in a Bugatti Veyron, a drain and refill in the Lamborghini Huracan doesn't look like a job for the average backyard mechanic. But most cars are a whole heck of a lot easier to service. If you want to learn how to change the oil in your own car, we've got you covered – just watch the video down below. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.