Filed under: Sports/GTs, Euro, Supercars, Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Is Volkswagen about to shed some supercars from its stable? It could be the case, if statements by Porsche boss/VW supervisory board member, Wendelin Wiedeking, are taken seriously. When asked about the future Bugatti and Lamborghini within the Volkswagen Group, Wiedeking is quoted as saying “no toys anymore.” Cash from the sale of these two exotic makers could help VW work on resurrecting restructuring its core Volkswagen brand, which would allow VW to reclaim its position as a true global player.

But it’s not all about the Euros. Not surprisingly, it is reported that Wiedeking isn’t too happy Porsche might occupy anything less than the top rung in the corporate hierarchy. Imagine Audi R8, Porsche 911 and Lamborghini Gallardo all in the same family - that might be a little awkward. And with a new Porsche supercar reportedly in the works designed to break the top speed record set by the Bugatti Veyron, it can only get worse. Throw in a Murcielago LP640 successor, and we think the sibling rivalry would turn to bloodshed.

Autocar is speculating that Lamborghini could be sold off, but that Bugatti might turn into little more than a coachbuilder. If the Veyron ends up making Bugatti a one-and-done automaker this go-around, we say job well done but hope there’s more to come.

Though Wiedeking is a member of VW’s supervisory board and his company does now own 31% of the VW Group, the question remains how much influence Porsche really has over the future of VW. German law in this regard is complicated, and as far as we can tell, beyond a voice on the board, Porsche can’t do much at the moment to force the sale of Lamborghini and Bugatti, whether it wants to or not.

[Source: Autocar]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Supercars, Audi, Lamborghini

The Audi R8 turns heads on public roads like few other sports cars on the planet, and its 420 HP V8 makes for a terrific track toy too. We’ve been reporting to you about a forthcoming Gallardo-sourced V10 R8 for some time, but the pumped up supercar has been absent from the ‘Ring since its melt-down a few months back.

The illustrious spy photo gang led by Sir Hans Lehmann caught the V10-powered Audi halo car back on the ‘Ring, and this time it’s ready for disaster. There are two red switches at the base of the a-pillar that can quell any fire with an electronic, foam-based extinguisher before the expensive prototype burns to the ground. The larger air intakes behind the doors and modified rocker panel skirts will help differentiate the R8S (or whatever Audi will call it) from its $109,000 “base” model, but the angry growl of the V10 should be a tip-off too. It’s good to see that Audi has gotten over its fear of fire and is back on the track with the V10 R8, and we’ll continue to eagerly await the 2009 Audi supercar.

[Source: AudiWorld]

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Filed under: Supercars, Audi, Lamborghini

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

Say what you will about the Germanification of Lamborghini; it’s producing damn good cars. Audi’s stake in the Raging Bull has helped move Lamborghini from a quirky, inscrutable supercar producer to a purveyor of some of the finest road-going rockets our generation has ever seen. But according to Audi pres Stephan Winkelmann, the magic number for cross pollination of the two brands is 20-percent. “In the future, we will always work together just on the hidden parts - parts that will not touch the DNA of Lamborghini,” Winkelmann told Autocar.

That pronouncement by Winkelmann is an attempt to quell criticism that the Gallardo shares too many components with the Audi R8 and that the majority of parts sharing will include unseen components, like electrical, plumbing and other, smaller pieces. “We have a quality benchmark with Audi,” Winkelmann said, “[Lamborghini] gets the best and fastest, and Audi gets us the cheapest.”

[Source: Autocar]

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