Lp1000 Twin Turbo Imsa Wide Body Ceramic Brakes Hre Wheels $350k+ Spent on 2040-cars

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Our date with the Lamborghini Veneno in the desert

Shooting The World's Most Expensive Production Car
One can only consider the Veneno an extremely fascinating machine.
Twelve humans have walked on the moon, yet only three humans will own a Lamborghini Veneno coupe.

Weekly Recap: Geneva's splendor reflects growing demand for ultra-luxury cars

Geneva is one of the most glittering auto shows in the world, but the list of high-powered and bespoke luxury cars was decadent this year even by the rich standards of the Swiss exhibition. It's great for enthusiasts to revel in the flame-throwing Aston Martin Vulcan, the racing-inspired elegance of the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept and the insane performance of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce, but there's a reason for all of this opulence: the luxury market is big business. And it's growing. IHS Automotive forecasts that so-called ultra-premium sales will nearly triple this decade from 123,000 to 353,000 units around the world. The estimate includes brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, but doesn't count BMW, Mercedes and Audi, which offer less expensive models in addition to their high-end flagships. Though IHS includes Porsche and its relatively large volume in the study, the ultra-premium segment is still set grow at about the same rate, even without the German automaker's figures. So what is propelling all of this growth in the most expensive segment of the auto industry? Put simply, there's more rich people. IHS Automotive principal analyst Tim Urquhart pointed to economic expansion in China, market recovery in the United States and a surge in the lucrative technology sector as contributing factors. This dovetails with a research report by UK-based Oxfam, an international relief organization, which found the world's richest one-percent owned 48 percent of global wealth in 2014, and it's expected to increase to more than 50 percent by 2016. View 17 Photos Carmakers are moving quickly to capitalize with new products, expanding their portfolios with low-volume speedsters like the 800-hp V12 Vulcan at Geneva, and plans to enter new segments, like Rolls-Royce's strategy to make an SUV. "Ultra-premium carmakers are looking to explore ways of growing their product offerings, and thus their bottom lines, in this most potentially profitable of segments," Urquhart wrote in a report on the Geneva show. In a nutshell, there are more choices for people with more money. It's a good time to have expensive taste. Other News & Notes 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production launches It won't be long now. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives later this year, and it's officially in production. Mazda announced this week that the roadster began rolling off the assembly line at its Ujina factory in Hiroshima, Japan.

Lamborghini Urus ST-X due out in 2020, hybrid with boost mode still on the way

LAS VEGAS — Lamborghini will expand the Urus range by taking it in two completely different directions. The SUV will go racing by the end of 2020, and it will gain a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. Autoblog sat down with Maurizio Reggiani, the head of the Italian firm's research and development department, at CES to get the latest on both projects. An updated variant of the track-bound Urus ST-X concept (pictured) made its debut in 2019. Development work is ongoing in the automaker's Squadra Corsa department, Reggiani told us, and the model is scheduled to appear during the 2020 Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final taking place in Misano, Italy, Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. "There will be a demo race where we'll present the format," Reggiani said. Meanwhile, another team is busily developing the plug-in hybrid variant of the Urus. It's a relatively straightforward process, because the model's platform was designed with electrification in mind, and the other models built on it (including the Porsche Cayenne and the Bentley Bentayga) are already available with hybrid power. The trick is figuring out what Lamborghini can bring to the table to differentiate itself from its sister brands. "The most important part will be to define in what way a Lamborghini must use this electric energy, and in what way we can be different from the other users of this platform," Reggiani said. While he stopped short of revealing what his team has decided, and he didn't share the model's unveiling date, he told us the driving mode selected will have a big effect on how the plug-in hybrid system dispenses electricity.  "We have seven different driving modes in the Urus, and what will be important is that every driving mode use electric power in a different way." Pressed for details, he singled out a "boost-oriented mode" created for maximum performance and an efficiency-focused mode that puts fuel economy front and center. Lamborghini is also taking its supercars into hybrid territory. We already know the Aventador's successor will offer a gasoline-electric powertrain, but the system won't be related to the one fitted to the Urus. Making a hybrid supercar is far more challenging than putting the system in an SUV, due to weight and packaging constraints, and going entirely electric would be even more difficult. Reggiani asserts the technology isn't ready yet. "When you drive a super-sport car, you want to have the freedom to do what you want.