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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.

As VW electrifies, it questions the role of Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen needs to change to stay relevant in the electric and digital vehicle era and will announce "important steps" to that end before the close of the year, Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Wednesday. "Volkswagen needs to change: From a collection of valuable brands and fascinating combustion-engine products that thrill customers with superb engineering — to a digital company that reliably operates millions of mobility devices worldwide," Diess told shareholders at the company's virtual general meeting. Vehicles need to stay in contact with customers, offer new services and comfort functions on a weekly or even daily basis, he said. "We will take further important steps to set the course for this in the rest of 2020," Diess said. Senior executives told Reuters the company is reviewing what role its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati will play as the company increasingly focuses on electric, digital and autonomous vehicles. Volkswagen, which also owns VW, Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda, is looking at whether it has the resources to accelerate development of electric platforms for smaller brands at a time it is investing billions to transform its more mainstream cars. Asked whether Ducati, which is known for making noisy combustion-engined motorbikes, has an electric future, Markus Duesmann, who oversees research and development for the group, said: "It will not take long until we see an electric Ducati." Whether Ducati, which is a medium-sized premium motorbike brand, would offer an electric variant, depends on whether a bike could offer range comparable to a combustion-engined variant, Duesmann said. Advances are being made in battery technology which could make this possible, he added. Separately Frank Witter, the company's chief financial officer, in response to a question about whether a sale of Lamborghini is planned, said Volkswagen does not comment on speculation about potential divestments. Lamborghini's Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali this week announced his departure from the sports car maker to take on a new job as president of Formula One. VW needs cash Volkswagen is reviewing the future of these three high-performance brands as part of broader quest for more economies of scale as it shifts to mass producing electric cars, senior executives told Reuters.

Volkswagen posts quarterly profit despite drop in sales

Volkswagen returned to profit in the third quarter as surging Chinese demand for luxury cars helped offset a 1.1% drop in vehicle deliveries due to the pandemic, sending its shares as much as 3% higher on Thursday. The German automaker's return to the black comes amid spiking coronavirus cases in Europe that led governments in France and Germany to order their countries back into strict national lockdowns on Wednesday. "The coronavirus remains a central problem," Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said in a conference call with reporters. "This situation now is anything but relaxed." But Witter said the group expected the economic recovery to continue and did "not anticipate any nationwide lockdowns in larger markets." Witter said the takeover of U.S. truck maker Navistar International by Volkswagen's trucking unit Traton was an important acquisition, but the "current economic climate will not make this easy." Volkswagen reiterated it expects to post a profit for the full year, saying its business "recovered noticeably" in the third quarter as sales in China of premium vehicles, including Audi and Porsche sports cars, rose 3%. The quarterly performance was also aided by a series of cost-cutting measures launched earlier this year. Volkswagen said its net liquidity rose to 24.8 billion euros from 18.7 billion at the end of the second quarter. Excluding one-time items, third-quarter operating profit was 3.2 billion euros ($3.8 billion), down from 4.8 billion euros a year earlier, but up from a second quarter loss of 1.7 billion. In a note to clients, Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois described the results as a "solid performance with strong cash, but relatively muted in the context of the (auto) sector recovery." Last week, German rival Daimler reported a record 24% jump in Chinese demand for its Mercedes-Benz cars, boosting its margins in the third quarter. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot manufacturer PSA Group both also posted solid results this week. Witter said Volkswagen could not say for sure whether it would meet EU CO2 emissions targets this year, adding "it will be a tough race." At 1030 GMT, Volkswagen shares were up 2.9% at 129.20 euros. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Audi Bentley Bugatti Lamborghini Porsche Volkswagen