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Lamborghini museum relaunches as MUDETEC, the Museum of Technology

Lamborghini has relaunched and rebranded its museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. From hence forth, it will be known as the MUDETEC, aka the Museo Delle Technologie, aka the Museum of Technology. The new museum will blend the old with the new using interactive displays to both remember the breakthroughs of the past while exploring current and future directions. Lamborghini says it focuses on "safeguarding and conveying the values, driving passion, and future-focus that are the mark of Lamborghini." At opening, the museum will display the "Future Shapers since 1963" exhibition. It features a "virtual journey" through time with a different car representing each decade. For the '60s, Lamborghini chose to highlight the 350 GT, what the company calls its first sports car, the Miura, and the Espada. The Countach is the mark of the '70s, the LM002 represents the '80s, and the Diablo GT is featured for the '90s. For 2000 on, Lamborghini chose the Sesto Elemento. The Asterion, the Huracan Performante, the Aventador SVJ, the Huracan EVO, and the Urus help round out the exhibit with some of the company's newest innovations. In addition to serving as a walkable recording of the company, the new museum will host two student workshops. One, named "Vehicle Set-up and Ergonomics," will teach dynamics, aerodynamics, and structural vehicle development. The other, named "Carbon Fiber and Its Technology," will teach performance through the art of weight reduction, with a focus on Advanced Composite Lightweight Structures Development. Extra activities include a virtual driving simulator, a 360-degree immersive "brain room," and an Ad Personam area, where people can configure and customize cars they likely cannot buy. The exhibit is already open and will run until October 2019.

Volkswagen Group's Vision 2030 strategy could bring revolution to the brands

One would expect a corporate plan called "Vision 2030," looking 11 years ahead through wildly tumultuous times, to involve great change and numerous forks in numerous roads. According to Automobile's breakdown of Volkswagen's path forward, though, the plans contain some lurid potential surprises. The ultimate aim is return on investment, and that means ruthless reorganization of a conglomerate with eight primary car brands, two car sub-brands, and Ducati motorcycles. The first two Vision 2030 cornerstones Automobile mentions are near boilerplate: Production network restructuring, and "streamlining of key technologies." The latter two are the ones that could upend what we know as the Volkswagen Group: focusing on the Group's core brands — meaning Audi, Porsche, and VW — and transitioning to EVs, autonomy, and other mobility solutions. Based on the report, a quote from Audi's CTO referring to the Audi brand could cover how the Group plans to handle all of its brands: "We need to find a sustainable solution for the indefinite transition period until EVs eventually take over." The boutique divisions adjacent to carmaking, Ducati and Italdesign, look likely to be spun off. For the halo car brands — Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — apparently shareholders want double-digit returns on investment, and the trio doesn't have long to hit the target. One eyebrow raiser is when the report states, "Bugatti is tipped to be gifted to [ex-VW Group Chairman] Ferdinand Piech." Piech fathered the Veyron during his tenure at VW, and it was thought he commissioned the La Voiture Noire, but he's lately stepped so far back from VW that he sold all his shares in the Group. Automobile quoted a senior strategist as saying of money-losing Bentley, "Why invest on a backward-looking enterprise when you can support a trendsetter? A proud history and excellent craftmanship alone don't cut it anymore." We guess no one at Ferrari, McLaren, or even Porsche got that memo. Bentley is reportedly close to being put in time out, and if brand CEO Adrian Hallmark can't right the Crewe ship, the hush-hush Plan B is to prop the Flying B up enough to lure a buyer. As for Lamborghini, caught between two masters at Audi and Porsche, even record-breaking numbers at the Italian supercar maker barely staved off sacrilege. It's said that VW brand CEO Herbert Diess considered putting a 5.0-liter Porsche V8 into the Aventador successor.

Lamborghini profiled on 60 Minutes for 50th anniversary

Even though we (meaning car enthusiasts as a whole) don't spend our days driving Lamborghinis, they're somehow a familiar, known quantity. We know we'll be wowed by a Lambo, and we have a pretty fair idea of what the sound and acceleration feel like. We know a Lamborghini is going to be wildly expensive, hopelessly impractical and eye-wateringly thirsty, but the charm that comes with the badge outweighs everything else.
We also recognize that we, as enthusiasts, are in the minority, and that the average joe is likely to be far more blown away by a Raging Bull than the average gearhead. That's what makes this an entertaining video. 60 Minutes explored Lamborghini right in the midst of its fiftieth anniversary, testing a Gallardo at Imola, tearing across the roads of Italy in an Aventador and exploring the Sant'Agata factory where all the magic happens. It's a bit of a long video, but it's a really fascinating look at how the mainstream views something extreme. Take a look below for the full, 12-minute clip.