Pearl Yellow Over Black Hides Loaded! Carbon Fiber Everywhere. Last Yr For Lp! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hybrid Sian Roadster becomes Lamborghini's most powerful convertible

Lamborghini chopped off the Sian's top to create its most powerful convertible model to date. The limited-edition Sian Roadster features an innovative hybrid powertrain and a wide panoply of customization options. Viewed from the front, the Roadster is nearly identical to the Sian coupe introduced at the 2019 edition of the Frankfurt auto show. Its long, low nose wears a carbon fiber splitter and Y-shaped LED headlights. It's the same story out back, where the shape of the lights again draws a subtle parallel between the Sian and the Countach built between 1974 and 1990. The engine remains visible through a horizontal wings made with carbon fiber, but they're flanked by deep scoops that start right behind the occupants and flow into a set of air vents. Surprisingly, the Roadster is just as aerodynamic as the coupe. Autoblog learned it will not come with any kind of roof. Technology reigns supreme in the cabin. The driver sits in front of a digital, configurable instrument cluster, and a touchscreen integrated into the slanted center stack displays the infotainment system Lamborghini designed in-house. The air vents are 3D-printed, and buyers can customize them by adding their initials. Nearly every part of the interior can be personalized, including the upholstery and the type of the materials used to make trim pieces. Mitja Borkert, the head of Lamborghini's design department, previously promised no two examples of the Sian coupe will be identical. It's reasonable to assume that every Roadster will be equally unique. The Sian lost its top without losing any of its mechanical panache. The Roadster is identical to the coupe, meaning it's equipped with Lamborghini's first production-bound hybrid system. The powertrain consists of a mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated V12 engine and an electric motor integrated into the transmission. It draws electricity from a supercapacitor to inject 34 horses into the driveline, bringing the setup's total output to 819 horsepower. Lamborghini quotes a 2.9-second sprint from zero to 62 mph, and a 217-mph top speed. Using a supercapacitor instead of a lithium-ion battery pack is not the easiest or cheapest way to build a hybrid, but engineers claim it's the best solution. It's three times more powerful than a battery with a comparable weight; put another way, it's three times lighter than one with a similar power output.

Bologna airport puts 631-hp Lamborghini follow-me car into service

Enthusiasts visiting Italy's Motor Valley could get a taste of the region's car-building tradition as soon as they land in Bologna. Airport officials renewed their partnership with Lamborghini to let a Huracan Evo loose on the tarmac. Lamborghini has provided the Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport with follow-me cars for several years. The latest raging bull to join the fleet is an all-wheel-drive Huracan Evo powered by a naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 that delivers 631 horsepower. It's painted in a shade of green named Verde Turbine Matte and it wears specific orange decals, a livery reminiscent of the one seen on the latest Evo-based Super Trofeo race car unveiled earlier in 2021. Pilots need more than a head-turning design to know where they're going, so the Huracan also gains a light bar. What is a "follow-me car" you may ask? The Huracan's main task is to meet an incoming plane at the end of the runway and guide it to the gate where its passengers will disembark. The driver is constantly in contact with the control tower, changes are not unheard of, so Lamborghini installed a radio in the cabin. How officials will decide who gets to drive the Huracan and who ends up in a 55-horsepower econobox hasn't been revealed; we predict an intense, winner-takes-all round of drawing straws (or tagliatelle, considering we're talking about a city globally known for its pasta-based dishes). Lamborghini's latest follow-me car will be in service until January 2022, so you might catch a glimpse of it after landing in Bologna. It's not always out, but it's easy to spot if it's on the clock because most of the other cars on the tarmac are small Fiat models, like the 500 and the Panda. And, if you're into airport car-spotting, keep your eyes peeled at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport: KLM still uses older Mercedes-Benz G-Class 4x4s as service vehicles. Featured Gallery Lamborghini Huracan Evo follow-me car at the Bologna airport View 13 Photos Marketing/Advertising Weird Car News Lamborghini Coupe Luxury

The rationale behind Lamborghini's Urus

If you've been following developments in Sant'Agata Bolognese lately, you'll know that the world's most unabashed supercar producer is adding an SUV. Code-named "Urus," it will join the brand's existing two-model (Aventador/Huracan) lineup. It's a bold move for a company with a reputation built on iconic two-seaters including the Miura, Countach, and Diablo, and by its CEO's own admission the decision "will radically change Lamborghini." Why risk the company's exclusive, extroverted image on a vehicle associated with mundane tasks and parents who can't bear the thought of driving a minivan? Two reasons, says CEO Stephan Winkelmann. "The SUV Segment is still fast growing worldwide," he notes. Indeed, global demand for SUVs is up 88 percent since 2008, making utility vehicles the fastest-growing segment around the world, according to IHS Automotive. Utilities now comprise 19 percent of the global vehicle market. In addition, "sales can be equally distributed over our three major regions...the Americas (the US is Lambo's top market), EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), and Asia Pacific." Lamborghini expects Urus to double sales from its current 2,500 cars per year to nearly 5,000. Adding a third model line "supports more consistent volumes and competitiveness of the company and our dealers," he continues. Further, Winkelmann maintains that an SUV fits the DNA of Lamborghini. "Our brand has a history of many types of cars such as GTs, super sports cars, and with the LM002 from 1986 to 1992, even an SUV. We learned together with our designers and product people that the SUV represented this opportunity the best." Structural implications include an expansion of the diminutive company's roughly 1,200-employee workforce by 50 percent, or 500 new hires, and the construction of a new facility near its headquarters to build the Urus. Building the new Lamborghini in Bologna is key to differentiating Urus from the other Volkswagen Group premium SUVs (Bentley Bentayga; Porsche Cayenne; Audi Q7 and Q8; and Volkswagen Touareg) that will share the same platform, and Winkelmann put great effort into persuading VW the move made economic sense. "We worked many months building the business case for approval because we are convinced the SUV will be a success and the best place to build it is in Sant'Agata Bolognese," Winkelmann stresses. "We are not simply adding another line in an existing building. Rather, we are talking about greenfield construction.