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Weekly Recap: Lamborghini fires on all cylinders

Lamborghini added 192 technicians and specialists in 2014 as the Italian automaker expands under the ambitious growth strategy of parent company Volkswagen AG. The additional workers helped Lamborghini increase its sales 19 percent last year to 2,530 supercars, and further expansion is planned for this year. Lambo has added more than 500 people in the last four years, bringing its headcount to 1,175. "Lamborghini is undergoing a strong phase of growth in both sales and in terms of recruitment," CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. "We invest significantly in our people ... in 2015 we plan to hire further." The supercar maker's solid performance last year came during a time of transition. Lambo sold off the final 265 Gallardos, which were the brand's best-selling models ever. Its 10-cylinder successor, the Huracan, immediately filled the void. It garnered 3,300 orders, and 1,137 of them were delivered in 2014. The other Lamborghini, the 12-cylinder Aventador, saw its sales increase 13 percent to 1,128 copies. The sales leap comes as Volkswagen drives sales expansion across its portfolio of brands. The German carmaker sold 10 million vehicles around the world for the first time last year. Though Lambo will never make supercars in great numbers, it is expected to contribute to VW's bottom line through its image and profitable sales. Look for further growth this year, and a Super Veloce version (shown above) of the Aventador has already been spotted during testing. Lamborghini has been working on a sport utility vehicle for years, though the company has never publicly approved the project. It also showed a hybrid, the Asterion, at last year's Paris Motor show, suggesting the automaker is considering an electric future. Other News and Notes GMC ponders Jeep Wrangler fighter GMC is considering adding a competitor to the Jeep Wrangler and has discussed the idea with its dealers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details of the vehicle are unclear, but the report suggested the vehicle could have cues from General Motors' old Hummer brand. The move would broaden GMC's lineup of trucks and SUVs and attract new customers. GMC sold 501,853 vehicles in 2014, making it GM's second-best selling brand. GMC had more volume than Cadillac and Buick combined, though it's still well behind Chevrolet's tally of more than two million vehicles. The notion of a "Wrangler fighter" could be a moving target.

Lamborghini unleashes the refreshed Huracan Evo with Performante V10

After a series of teaser shots, Lamborghini has let the midcycle refresh of its Huracan out of the pen, with a new predictive-logic vehicle dynamics control system to go along with its more aerodynamic redesign. New photos show the sports car in full, with a new front bumper featuring a front splitter and integrated wing, with larger air intakes. Lamborghini's hexagon design references are evident in the windows, 20-inch wheels and the new side air intakes. We also get a full look at the redesigned rear, with the twin exhaust tips up high flanking the license plate and an integrated, slotted spoiler. Lamborghini says aerodynamic improvements, which also include the underbody, improve the Evo's downforce and aerodynamic efficiency more than five times over the Huracan's first generation. It's powered by the Performante 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 that's been uprated to 640 horsepower and what the brand says is "an emotional and powerful sound" with titanium intake valves and a refined, lightweight exhaust system. It produces 442 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm, does 0-62 mph in just 2.9 seconds (two tenths of a second faster than before), and has a top speed of more than 202 mph. New on the all-wheel-drive Huracan Evo is rear-wheel steering and a torque vectoring system that works the four wheels. There's also the Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata, a central processing unit that integrates all of the car's dynamic systems and setup to anticipate the next move and the driver's needs to respond with the appropriate driving dynamics. It's also got an enhanced 2.0 version of the Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale set of accelerators and gyroscope sensors, with improved precision at monitoring in real-time the lateral, longitudinal and vertical accelerations and also roll, pitch and yaw rates. Also improved is the magnetorheological suspension, which instantaneously adapts the damping based on inputs from the LPI. A new advanced traction-control system allows traction to be directed to a single wheel when needed, and steering is enhanced to provide higher responsiveness in corners, coupled with the rear-wheel steering to ensure agility at low speeds and maximum stability in high-speed cornering and under braking. Three driving modes are offered: Strada, Sport and Corsa race-track mode.

'Rich Kid of Instagram' victim of supercar arsonists

A 19-year-old in the UK is smarting after the possibility that his prolific social media use may be at the heart of four family-owned supercars going up in flames in barely a week. Aleem Iqbal has thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram paying attention to his frequent posts about the high-priced cars he's driving. He's even been featured on the Tumblr page Rich Kids of Instagram. It appears that some people might not be so smitten with him, though.
According to his Twitter profile, Iqbal owns Platinum Executive Travel, a luxury car rental company in the England, and UK newspaper The Telegraph claims the company is also owned by Iqbal's father. On June 6, cameras caught three hooded men setting fire to a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster leased by the company for a wedding. A few days later, two Audi R8 Spyders and a Bentley Continental Flying Spur from Platinum also got the torch, and two men were caught on camera setting the blaze. Nobody was hurt in either of the attacks, and the Aventador appeared to be repairable with the fire causing most damage to the passenger seat and dashboard. Police are still investigating both of the crimes.
According to The Telegraph, Iqbal believes that the arsons could have stemmed from jealousy towards him and his family's business. Regardless, setting fire to a bunch of cars that are likely insured isn't a great way to show displeasure.