2004 Lamborghini Gallardo Base Coupe 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Coronavirus prompts VW to stop production throughout Europe

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group, the world's biggest carmaker, is suspending production at factories across Europe as the coronavirus pandemic hits sales and disrupts supply chains, the company said on Tuesday. The German carmaker, which owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat and Skoda brands, also said that uncertainty about the fallout from coronavirus meant it was impossible to give forecasts for its performance this year. "Given the present significant deterioration in the sales situation and the heightened uncertainty regarding parts supplies to our plants, production is to be suspended in the near future at factories operated by group brands," Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Tuesday. Volkswagen's powerful works council concluded it was not possible for workers to maintain a safe distance from each other to prevent contagion and recommended a suspension of production at its factories from Friday. Production will be halted at VW's Spanish plants, in Setubal in Portugal, Bratislava in Slovakia and at the Lamborghini and Ducati plants in Italy before the end of this week, Diess said. Most of its other German and European factories will prepare to suspend production, probably for two to three weeks, while Audi said separately it would halt output at its plants in Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Mexico. Volkswagen's vast factories in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Puebla, Mexico, and plants in Brazil were not affected, but that would depend on how the coronavirus spreads, VW said. Volkswagen has 124 production sites worldwide of which 72 are in Europe, with 28 in Germany alone. "2020 will be a very difficult year. The coronavirus pandemic presents us with unknown operational and financial challenges. At the same time, there are concerns about sustained economic impacts," Diess said.   Production in China resumes Volkswagen Group sold 10.96 million vehicles last year, putting it ahead of Toyota based on the latest figures from the Japanese carmaker. Globally, VW employs 671,000 people and it delivered 4.86 million vehicles to European customers in 2019. Only last month the car and truck maker based in Wolfsburg, Germany, predicted that vehicle deliveries this year would match 2019 sales and forecast an operating return on sales in the range of 6.5% to 7.5%. "The spread of coronavirus is currently impacting the global economy. It is uncertain how severely or for how long this will also affect the Volkswagen Group.

Lamborghini recalls Aventador over headlamp problem

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a bulletin over a recall for up to 144 examples of the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador here in the States. The affected models, built from July 15, 2011 to April 20, 2012 have headlights that apparently don't conform to US federal motor vehicle safety standards. The lamps can be aimed horizontally but not vertically, which can reduce their usefulness for the driver and blind oncoming traffic if aimed improperly.
Lamborghini is expected to begin notifying affected owners next week, at which time they can take their Aventadors to their dealers for a fix free of charge. The complete bulletin from NHTSA is below.

Watch the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento used as a commuter car

Lamborghini never homologated the limited edition Sesto Elemento for the road, but this guy threw caution to the wind by taking the track-only sports coupe on the highway. He even recorded the high-speed blasts on video and had a Rolls-Royce along as a posh camera car. Lamborghini made just 20 examples of the Sesto Elemento, and they sold for 2 million euros each, which equaled $2.8 million at that time. The powertrain was the 570-horsepower V10 and all-wheel drive system from the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, and Lambo made extensive use of carbon fiber for the special coupes, which cut the weight to just 2,200 pounds. The company claimed they could sprint to 62 miles per hour in only 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 198 mph. This driver was clearly very excited to show off the copious power from the limited edition Lamborghini, but he might have had a better time at the track. That is where Lamborghini means for the Sesto Elemento to play, and there would be no worries about the authorities potentially confiscating his rare ride. Related Video: