2009 Lamborghini Murcielago Lp640 Convertible 2-door 6.5l on 2040-cars

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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.

1990 Lamborghini LM002 roars into Jay Leno's Garage

High-performance SUVs have become fairly common in recent years, with vehicles like the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR, Mercedes-AMG G65, and plenty of others to fill the niche. However, the Lamborghini LM002 was arguably the segment's pioneer when it debuted decades ago. Jay Leno welcomes one of these Italian beasts into his garage in a new video, and this thing is fascinating to see on the road. The LM002 is a wonderfully incongruous vehicle. The exterior has a brutish collection of chiseled features, but there's a high-output 5.2-liter V12 from the Countach under the hood. Leno says that the "Rambo Lambo" sounds "like an Italian opera," and he lets the big engine sing several times during the clip. Leno praises the way the Lambo drives, but the LM002 ownership experience sounds difficult. According to guest Damiano Barbuscia, replacement tires are eye-wateringly expensive, and the V12 gulps down fuel. The high price is likely worth it for this SUV's charisma on the road – see for yourself in the latest from Jay Leno's Garage.

Leno's Lamborghini Espada is a freshly restored super-wagon

To give you a sense of why we love Jay Leno, outside of just his taste in cars and ability to preserve so many of them, is that he didn't always have a massive warehouse full of exotics. At one point during his 30-year ownership of this 1969 Lamborghini Espada, it was his only car. Now it has somewhere north of 100k miles on it (he doesn't know exactly because the odometer stopped working at one point – go figure!), and it's still driving great. Leno claims he have it a mechanical refresh about 10 years ago, mostly to clean up some dodgy wiring, and it is fresh out of a cosmetic refresh to address some rust bubbles in the quarters. The V12 is healthy – Leno credits that to letting it warm up before setting off – and it sounds phenomenal. Other than some minor upgrades, like a modern air conditioning system and some added sound insulation, it's mechanically stock. Inside, there's plenty of room for four adults, and Leno's large frame fits just fine in the driver's seat. The Espada set Leno back $26,000 in 1986, when he considered buying a Ferrari 330 GTC. The Ferrari was $2,500 more, so he picked the Lamborghini. Now, that 330 GTC is a $1m+ car, and the Espada? Not so much, although they are appreciating. Don't cry too much for Leno, he turned out all right. Just enjoy the Espada ripping along in sunny California, making all the right noises. Celebrities Lamborghini Wagon Classics Videos Jay Lenos Garage lamborghini espada