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Lamborghini has been developing an IPO strategy 'for a long time'

Porsche AG isn’t the only Volkswagen AG brand that has been quietly preparing for a potential initial public offering. Italian luxury-car maker Lamborghini has been developing a strategy how to present itself to stock-market investors since well before Volkswagen asked each of its brands to come up with virtual equity stories, according to the unitÂ’s Chief Executive Officer Stephan Winkelmann. “WeÂ’ve been working on this with other agencies in order to create clarity,” Winkelmann said. “As a brand, weÂ’ve done so for a long time, to show what worth, what value we have. Up until a little while ago, it wasnÂ’t so well known.” Porsche became EuropeÂ’s most valuable automaker last month, when its market capitalization overtook that of VW a week after its IPO in Frankfurt. The debut of the 911 maker was a bold move into public markets, which have been largely shut for most of the year. VW CEO Oliver Blume has said he sees the listing as a blueprint to unlock more value from the groupÂ’s brands that also include Audi and Bentley. “An IPO drill is exactly what you do to show the public how solid you are and what is in progress for the future,” Winkelmann said. “We have a clear story and strategy for that.” Audi, which oversees VWÂ’s premium brands, said last month there are no concrete plans for an IPO of Lamborghini. A previous push to potentially spin off the carmaker and motorcycle brand Ducati ran into opposition from labor leaders. Still, LamborghiniÂ’s recent profit gains -- including a 31.9% operating margin in the first half of this year -- make a solid case for a stock-market listing, said Michael Dean, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “An IPO is something that could potentially happen in the next 18 months, depending on market conditions,” Dean said. “A ˆ15 billion valuation is entirely justifiable and could be even higher, given the margin metrics.” LamborghiniÂ’s deliveries rose 8% to 7,430 vehicles in the first nine months of the year. Operating profit climbed 69% to ˆ570 million ($567 million). Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lamborghini teases Huracan Sterrato tackling terrain

VW will need to recall 323,700 diesel vehicles in India

Volkswagen Group's diesel emissions scandal continues to spread, and now the automaker must recall 323,700 diesel vehicles in India because of too much pollution, according to Bloomberg. The campaign covers models from several of the group's brands including VW, Audi, and Skoda. The Automotive Research Association of India first discovered the emissions irregularities after conducting its own real world and lab tests, and the Indian government then commanded VW to explain what was happening. The country's regulators will allow the automaker to set the recall schedule for the repairs, according to a government official who spoke to Bloomberg, and the campaign will likely happen in phases. Among the affected vehicles, there will be about 100,000 from the VW brand including the Jetta, Passat, and some variants of the Polo. VW already has repairs for some of the affected diesel engines in Europe, and the company can allegedly fix the emissions problem with new software and small hardware changes. The situation is harder in the US where regulators still need to approve any proposed solutions, and VW also must now recall its 3.0-liter V6 TDI in California to eliminate other problematic code. The German automaker faces investigations from regulators all over the world into its emissions evasions, and they could be quite costly. One estimate already suggests the minimum price of the potential repairs, fines, and other expenses at about $24.5 billion. Officials in Brazil have already fined the company $13 million for pollution issues with the diesel Amarok pickup and requested a recall to fix them.

Who wants to pay a million dollars for a VW Beetle?

The Volkswagen Beetle was always envisioned as a cheap mode of transportation, but now one is being offered for over $1 million by a dealer in the company's home base of Wolfsburg, Germany. So just what makes this Beetle so special? It's not the first one made, and it's not the last one made – but it comes close: This particular example is an Ultima Edicion – one of the final Bugs made in Mexico before production ended even there in 2003. It's decked out in beige with a black fabric interior and none – repeat, none – of the bells and whistles. With less than 75 miles on the odometer, it offers one wealthy buyer the rare opportunity to get an original Beetle (not some modernized incarnation thereof) in factory-fresh condition, which no one has been able to do for over a dozen years now. Does that make it worth the million-euro ($1.1M) asking price? Not if you ask us, no. But then we wouldn't count ourselves among the most dedicated Beetle fanatics out there.