2006 Lamborghini Gallardo Balloon White Over Nero W/white Stitching Carbon on 2040-cars

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Creative minds build lightweight Lambos and Bugattis with cardboard and pedals

As manufacturers continue their quests to reduce the weight of their vehicles, they switch out heavy steel for lighter materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium, and sometimes even magnesium. But they've been ignoring a cheap alternative that is widely available: cardboard. Leave it to two visionaries from Vietnam to crack the code and build supercars and superbikes out of the versatile paper product. Vietnamese YouTube channel NHET TV, via CarScoops, might only have a year under its belt, but in that short amount of time, it has amassed more than 350,000 subscribers. What initially started out as a random collection of harmless pranks, trolls, and makeshift time-killers has blossomed into an entertaining channel of ultra-low-budget car and motorcycle builds.  The first video posted is a paper plane competition, but the second video shows the first appearance of a vehicle, a Ducati Panigale made out of cardboard and a bicycle. This isn't like Paper Mario with a two-dimensional silhouette, it's a close-enough three-dimensional replica. That project was admittedly pretty rough, but the work has only improved as the channel has matured.  Throughout the past year, NHET TV has stuck with high-performance transportation for inspiration. They've built projects that mimic a Lamborghini Sian, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, a Ferrari LaFerrari FXX K, a Bugatti Chiron, a BMW S 1000 RR, and a Yamaha YZF-R6, among others. Some of the builds, such as the Bugatti, go beyond the typical cardboard-body-on-bicycle-frame. As seen in the video below, the NHET TV built a tubular frame for the car using spare bike parts that they welded together. The Bug even has a custom steering column and steering wheel, though the high-quality model continues to use bike chains and pedals for power. The SVJ might be the most advanced vehicle, as it has a real engine for power and has custom reverse gearing. These guys are creating fun out of the limited resources they do have, and that's what right now is all about. Enjoy the videos below and watch more on the full NHET TV channel.

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 previews a Huracan race car made just tame enough for the road

November 2020's Los Angeles Auto Show has been rescheduled to May 2021, but the new date is not stopping carmakers from revealing the models they planned to introduce at the event. Lamborghini released a preview image that shows what could be the most extreme variant of the Huracan to date. We'll see it in full this Wednesday, November 18. Very likely called Huracan STO, an acronym which stands for Super Trofeo Omologato, the coupe will arrive as a street-legal supercar endowed with some of the technology developed for the Super Trofeo Evo model that races around the world. Lamborghini's preview image highlights W-shaped LEDs integrated into the headlights, but the cover that obscures the STO's full design can't conceal the giant wing attached to the back end. It also looks like the hood receives a pair of deep air vents. While the photo leaves a lot to the imagination, a set of spy shots published earlier in 2020 gave us a much better look at the car's aggressive aerodynamic add-ons. We expect the cabin will ditch some of the comfort-oriented features found in the standard Huracan in order to save weight; earlier reports claimed the STO will tip the scale at approximately 330 pounds less than the coupe it's based on. Amazon Alexa compatibility won't be needed, for example. Who preheats their oven while lapping Laguna Seca? It sounds like the variant will be street-legal, however, so it won't be completely stripped down. Why the STO needs so much downforce is, if you'll pardon the pun, up in the air. Power will almost certainly come from Lamborghini's naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 engine, but we'd be surprised if the firm doesn't use this opportunity to put a few more horses in the cavalry. In the Huracan Evo, the 10-cylinder produces 632 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. Rear-wheel drive and a paddle-shifted automatic transmission will come standard, and bigger brakes will help drivers keep the extra power in check on and off the track. Lamborghini will unveil the Huracan STO online on November 18. While nothing is official yet, unverified rumors claim it will arrive as a limited-edition model, and odds are it will be sold out by the time it breaks cover. Related Video: