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The Mansory Venatus is a widebody Lamborghini Urus that could scar your retinas

Nothing says, "I am a person of exquisite taste with an appreciation for subtlety" quite like the purchase of a Lamborghini Urus, but there are some in the world for whom that is not enough, people who need just a little bit more if they're to be properly satisfied.  From the extensive use of carbon fiber in crafting new exterior parts, to the hours spent painstakingly poring over every detail of the interior to make sure it was as blue as possible, it's clear the Mansory Venatus is nothing if not more. It's also not new, strictly speaking. With the 2020 Geneva Motor Show deteriorating into a sort of chaos, we've been perhaps a bit over-vigilant in looking for anything that may have fallen through the cracks in coverage. While researching Mansory's new Bentley Continental GT offering, we spotted this gem and quickly realized that it slipped under our scopes last year. Either that, or the sight of it alone inflicted so much trauma that we've blocked it out; it could easily have gone either way.  The Venatus is essentially a collection of wide body panels and other exterior parts from Mansory's growing Urus catalog. Everything from the individual pieces of the fender flares to the front of rear bumpers can be ordered individually, or as part of Mansory's three available Urus packages: Soft Kit, Wide Body and this one.  This is far from the first time Mansory has thrown carbon fiber at a Lamborghini. We're frankly surprised that it isn't even more extreme, either visually or in terms of performance, as the German tuner has gone down both roads before.  Related Video:      

Lamborghini's Revuelto enjoys new high-tech build processes

Lamborghini exited the old age with a number of big bangs. The Aventador not only got an Ultimate special edition, but also a couple of one-offs with the Invencible and Autentica. The sold-out Huracan is rushing into the sunset in two directions, one on the road with the 60th Anniversary models, the other on the dirt with the sensational Sterrato. The brand with all the bull enters the new age with even more pop, attaching an electric motor to its hallmark V12, and remaking the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory that produces the hybrid V12 and the Revuelto two-door wrapped around it. In a video called "Building the Dream," various members of the Lamborghini family explain how the production process have improved so that everyone can ensure they're building a better car, better. A fair bit of the Manufattura Lamborghini story reminded us of Maserati's high-tec production overhaul at the Viale Ciro Menotti facility for the Nettuno V6 in the MC20. Computerized tools deliver repeatable build standards, the engine is built over a set of stations that include new seal testing and a final testing room, the transmission getting its own set of stations and build teams. There's also a sustainability story inside and outside, with new machines and software enabling more utilization of hides for interiors, CO2-neutral energy runs the plant, and not far away, there's a small forest with bee hives.   The most impressive bit might be the automaker saying the new setup increases the customization options. With Lamborghini building one-offs for clients, we didn't realize there was anything left to customize. The one line that stuck out to us was when Chief Manufacturing Officer Ranieri Niccoli said there's a new V12 assembly line "that in the future can accommodate different engines." That's called foreshadowing. While we wait to find out what that sentence could mean, grab some gelato and have a watch of the video above. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2022 Ford Maverick gets a surprising amount of attention

People notice the 2022 Ford Maverick. You could chalk it up to metro Detroit being a company town, but that’s too easy. The Maverick, despite its modest size, has presence. I expected the truck to draw curiosity. Aesthetically, the MaverickÂ’s closest rival, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, is far more eye-catching with a flashy grille and curves and creases front to back. The MaverickÂ’s squared-off truck demeanor makes it an understated attention-getter, and it does have some design flourishes, especially up front with the blocky headlights that Tetris with the grille. ItÂ’s not just the looks. The sub-$20K MSRP offers real value and is an articulation of FordÂ’s strategy to pivot from cars to similarly sized offerings. This is better than a Ford Focus, and it makes sense why Ford took such a big risk revamping its lineup. And the hybrid version gets up to 42 mpg. Ford sold 4,140 Mavericks in October, outpacing the Santa CruzÂ’s still-healthy tally of 1,848 units. Ford says the trucks were moving off dealer lots in an average of five days, which is a brisk pace. The Maverick is also bringing in young buyers, with a quarter of its sales to people 18 to 35 years old.  While the sales figures are interesting, the Maverick starts about $4,000 less than the Santa Cruz, and Ford sells more vehicles than Hyundai in the United States, so thatÂ’s just part of the equation. Ford and Hyundai will define success for their small trucks in different ways. TheyÂ’re both attention-getters, but the Maverick surprised me with its star power. It will be interesting to see if this segment has staying power for Ford, Hyundai and perhaps others. Other news and notes The North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year Award finalists were announced this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the Maverick and Santa Cruz both made the cut in the truck category, where they were joined by the Rivian R1T. The Honda Civic, Lucid Air and Volkswagen Golf GTI/R  will vie for top honors in the car segment. The Ford Bronco, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV70 make up the SUV field. Winners will be announced in early January. The finalists were culled from a field of 23 semifinalists. Full disclosure: IÂ’m a NACTOY juror.  HereÂ’s an odd one: Famed designer Marcello Gandini is disavowing the rebirth of the Lamborghini Countach. Lambo essentially restyled the Sian with a modern interpretation of the CountachÂ’s design cues.