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Lamborghini outlines electrification strategy, announces first EV

Lamborghini, one of the industry's fiercest defenders of the naturally-aspirated engine, is planning to electrify its range during the 2020s. It detailed the path it will follow to electrification, and it announced the road leads to an EV. Company boss Stephan Winkelmann named the three-part electrification strategy Direzione Cor Tauri, which is Italian for "towards Cor Tauri," a reference to the brightest star in Taurus — the constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere, not the Ford built over six generations. Significantly, he stressed that adding batteries and electric motors to a supercar's driveline will not dilute the hardcore performance that Lamborghini's image is built on. The first phase of the plan calls for celebrating the non-electrified internal combustion engine. Lamborghini wants to send it off with a bang, if you'll pardon the pun. It will flex its engineering muscles by unveiling two models powered by a naturally-aspirated V12 in 2021. Our crystal ball tells us at least one will be the long-awaited successor to the Aventador S. Act fast if you want one, because it undoubtedly won't stick around for as long as its predecessor. Lamborghini's first production-bound hybrid, the Sian (pictured as a roadster), arrived in 2019 as a sold-out, limited-edition model with a V12-electric powertrain. Some of the lessons learned during the project will permeate a series-produced hybrid model that's expected to make its debut in 2023. Advances in carbon fiber solutions and new technologies will help engineers offset the weight added by the battery pack. We don't know what kind of system the model will use, or where it will slot in the firm's portfolio. It might be a replacement for the Huracan Evo, however. The entire Lamborghini range will be electrified to some degree by 2024. Reaching this ambitious goal will require investing 1.5 billion euros (around $1.8 billion at the current conversion rate) to develop powertrains and other technologies. That's the largest cash injection the firm has ever received since its inception in 1963. Finally, the first series-produced electric Lamborghini will arrive at some point during the second half of the decade. It will arrive as a fourth model, meaning it likely will not be merely a battery-powered version of an existing car, but it's far too early to provide details like its name, the segment it will compete in, and the technology it will use.

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.

188,000-mile Lamborghini Huracan from Las Vegas rental fleet listed for sale

If you're shopping for a Lamborghini Huracan, you're far more likely to find a low-mileage example than one that has covered the planet's equatorial circumference nearly five times. There is a notable exception to this rule looking for a new owner in Las Vegas, unsurprisingly, and the seller says nearly 2,000 people have driven it. Houston Crosta, the seller, told Car & Driver the 2015 Huracan was the first car he bought when he founded a business named Royalty Exotic Cars that specializes in renting high-end, high-horsepower machines to Vegas tourists who want to up their bling. If you've visited Sin City recently, you may have seen this wedge-shaped bull racing up and down The Strip. Crosta estimated about 1,900 renters have put an incredible 188,000 miles on the Huracan in five years; that's 302,000 kilometers, if you're more comfortable with the metric system. Either way, it's a lot. If rental-car miles are the automotive equivalent of dog years, rental supercar miles in Las Vegas are like putting wear-and-tear on fast-forward. And yet, Crosta claims the Huracan has been surprisingly reliable. He had to replace the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission at about 180,000 miles but otherwise did "nothing but oil changes and basic service." Even the interior seems to have held up. Crosta's other exotics haven't fared as well. He has also owned a Lamborghini Aventador that somehow ended up on fire, a Ferrari 458 which went through seven transmissions, and a McLaren 650S that also met a fiery end. Speed enthusiasts who want to scratch their gambling itch without traveling to Las Vegas can buy the Huracan, which is listed for $130,000 on eBay, and try to take it beyond the 200,000-mile mark. Whether it's worth that is debatable; Crosta has received offers in the vicinity of $100,000 and shot them down, according to Car & Driver. In comparison, a 2015 Huracan with under 10,000 miles is worth between $180,000 and $200,000.