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Shuffle at Lamborghini sends CEO to Quattro GmbH

A management shakeup in Volkswagen Group's high-performance divisions will make Stephan Winkelmann (above) the new chief executive of Audi's Quattro GmbH on March 15. On the same day, former Scuderia Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali will replace Winkelmann as Lambo's boss. These changes are necessary because current Quattro chief Heinz Hollerweger is retiring. Rumors of these exact shifts cropped up in Italian media in December. Winkelmann began leading Lamborghini in 2005, and he has been at the helm for massive growth at the company. In 2015, the Italian supercar maker delivered a record 3,245 vehicles, and it had just set its previous best of 2,530 units in 2014. His new role at Quattro GmbH puts Winkelmann in charge of Audi's equivalent to M at BMW or AMG at Mercedes-Benz. The division is responsible for the Four Rings' R and RS production models, the Audi Sport customer racing program, and Audi Exclusive customization service. "In the future, the Audi Sport brand is to be positioned more clearly," the company's announcement said, which hints at one of Winkelmann's duties. Domenicali has been closely associated with Lamborghini rival Ferrari during his career and had years of experience within the automaker's racing team. He started in financing at the Prancing Horse in 1991 and moved to business planning for the Scuderia Ferrari F1 squad in 1993. He held many positions there and eventually ascended to the top as team principal in 2008. Domenicali resigned from leadership in 2014 because of the team's poor performance, but Audi quickly snapped him up as its as Vice President New Business. He now gets the reins of one of Italy's premiere supercar makers. Related Video: Stephan Winkelmann to be new CEO of quattro GmbH As of March 15, 2016, Stephan Winkelmann (51) will be the new CEO of quattro GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of AUDI AG, which produces and distributes the high performance R and RS models. Winkelmann was President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. since January 1, 2005. Heinz Hollerweger (62), the current Head of quattro GmbH, is to retire after almost 40 years of successful work for Audi. "With his experience from more than eleven years in charge of Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann will be a key contributor to the further growth of quattro GmbH," says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG.

Lamborghini plans to reduce carbon emissions by 40% per car

Lamborghini has revealed its latest roadmap to a greener future, and it has a "new ambitious target": Reduce "enterprise emissions" by 40% per car by 2030. That's carbon emissions from across the entire value chain — the SantÂ’Agata Bolognese production plant, the cars, everything. Lamborghini laid out its Direzione Cor Tauri strategy, which displays the companyÂ’s commitment to achieving total carbon neutrality. The strategy started in 2023 with the release of Revuelto hybrid. In 2024, the company plans to launch a hybrid version of the Urus Super SUV and a second HPEV (high performance electric vehicle) that will replace the Huracan. By 2025, Lamborghini states, the carbon emissions of the actual vehicle fleet itself will be lowered by 50%.  Lamborghini also plans to launch its first full-electric model, Lanzador, in 2028 and then a year later will launch a full-electric super SUV. These new cars will help reduce fleet emissions by 80% by 2030. “The electric motor opens up new horizons in terms of dynamics and driving experience. It is the dawn of a new era for super sports cars, in which we are redefining the concept of sportiness, enjoyment and driving dynamics in sustainable terms. Our DNA will always be based on the concept of emotional performance,” said Rouven Mohr, chief technical officer. Stephan Winkelmann, chairman and CEO, said: “Direzione Cor Tauri is our roadmap to electrification of the Lamborghini range and the path to decarbonization, not only of our SantÂ’Agata Bolognese facility, but of the entire value chain: it is a holistic approach to our global environmental sustainability strategy. Within a context of major transformation, everyone needs to contribute to achieving the objectives: this commitment extends not just to every individual and every company, but also to institutions and governments responsible for infrastructures and the transition toward renewables. Our mission, as a globally recognized brand, is to inspire and encourage others to tackle these modern-day challenges. Automobili Lamborghini is proof that a sustainable vision is possible.” Lamborghini started its strategic plan for carbon neutrality in 2015 by making changes across the company. The chief manufacturing office stated the luxury brand sports car company made sure any new buildings had high-energy efficiency certifications, minimized the use of water in the paint shop and helped reduce energy consumption per vehicle by 36% in 2022.

Volkswagen Group sales down 15% in pandemic year, but EV sales up 214%

FRANKFURT, Germany — German automaker Volkswagen said its global sales fell 15.2% during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but showed significant recovery toward the end of the year. The company more than tripled its sales of battery-only vehicles. Global sales for all of Volkswagen's brands amounted to 9.3 million vehicles. The fourth quarter showed a smaller decline of 5.7% and within that quarter the month of December was still further improved, showing a shortfall of only 3.2% from the same period the year before. Volkswagen said Wednesday that sales fell the most in Western Europe, by 21.6%, while China, the company's largest single market, was down 9.1% Sales of battery-only cars jumped 214% to 231,600 from 73,700 across all the company's brands. The company's electric sales leaders included the Volkswagen ID.3 compact, with 56,500, the Audi E-Tron SUV with 47,300, and the high-end Porsche Taycan with 20,000. Volkswagen said that its sales fell by less than the overall market, meaning it had slightly expanded its market share. “The COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 an extremely challenging year,” said group sales chief Christian Dahlheim. “The Volkswagen Group performed well in this environment and strengthened its market position." Volkswagen Group's brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, SEAT, and Skoda as sell as truck makers MAN and Scania.