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Lamborghini Urus to get twin-turbo V8

The Lamborghini Urus won't use one of the Italian supercar brand's familiar V10 or V12 engines upon its arrival around 2018, but will instead pack a Lambo-exclusive twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. Company boss Stephan Winkelmann and research chief Maurizio Reggiani confirmed the powerplant selection to Autocar, which verified earlier rumors. The choice of turbocharging rather than the brand's usual naturally aspirated mills comes returns lower carbon dioxide emissions and a greater breadth of torque from the powerband. Even if Urus owners never take the CUV off-road, Lamborghini's engineers want it to be possible. They feel that significant grunt at low revs is necessary for the vehicle to excel in the dirt, and the company only plans to offer the Urus with all-wheel drive. Winkelmann also promises the model to live up to the automaker's huge performance reputation. "This engine is not used by anybody else, only for Lamborghini. To be the most powerful in the class it must have something that is dedicated to our brand," he said to Autocar. For buyers looking for even more exclusivity from their Lamborghini crossover, the company could offer multiple variations of the Urus after the initial launch. Winkelmann re-confirmed to Autocar that both a plug-in hybrid version and high-performance Superveloce are under consideration; there also could be a luxury-focused edition. The company hasn't signed off on any of these yet, though. Lamborghini will build the Urus in a new factory near its headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and the brand will hope to deliver around 3,000 of them annually. Expect the final model to look like an evolved version of the earlier concept. Autocar claims prices for the UK market similar to the Aventador, which starts at around $400,000 in the US. Related Video:

Novitec Torado takes a stab at improving the Lamborghini Aventador [w/video]

Novitec has finished its tuning program for the Lamborghini Aventador, and it has called the mean-looking finished product, Torado. It looks like it wants to take the pedestrian sinisterness of the Aventador into an otherworldly rage, with carbon fiber vents, spoilers and protrusions lining the body from front to back.
Novitec says it's still good for daily use, even with four different stages of power tune and a fifth out-of-the-ballpark injection called "Bi-Kompressor." The power bumps start at 722 horsepower and 519 pound-feet and go up to 969 hp and 672 lb-ft with the bi-kompressor. The exhaust systems included in those packages are also good for shaving around 20 kilos from the car's weight.
There's a short press release below with more on Novitec's work, and a video of the Torado in the wind tunnel.

Volkswagen breaks 40-year-old sales record in 2012

The last time Volkswagen moved this many vehicles in America in one year, Richard Nixon was still a President in good standing, Let It Be was a radio hit and each car wearing the VW badge boasted an air-cooled engine. That's right, with a grand total of 580,286 vehicles sold in the US last year, the VW Group has broken its own four-decades-old sales record by 2,899 vehicles.
Of that 580k total sold, 438k were Volkswagens and 139k were Audi products - increases of 35.1 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively, in year-over-year sales. The ultra-premium members of the VW group also fared well; Bentley delivered 2,315 vehicles for a 23.3-precent increase, and Lamborghini delivered 520 units for a 52.9-percent jump. Bugatti, we're told is "right on track."
Jetta (pictured) sales paced the marque with 170k models sold, and Passat also finished very strong with sales of 117k total. Tiguan also racked up its best year on file, with 31,731 models shifted.