Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Lamborghini Archives

July 18, 2008

Lamborghini Delivers First Gallardo LP560-4 to Benny Caiola

NEW YORK -- Automobili Lamborghini America, LLC delivered the first Gallardo LP560-4 to Benny Caiola, Jr., noted Italian car enthusiast and collector, this week at his home outside of New York City. The all-new 560 horsepower LP560-4, which replaces the previous Gallardo model, features a powerful new engine, permanent four-wheel drive system and an 18 percent reduction in fuel consumption and C02 emissions.

Mr. Caiola secured the right to the first LP560-4 through a generous bid at the East Side House Settlement charity auction during the 2008 New York International Auto Show.

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June 22, 2008

Lamborghini Signs Exclusive Agreement With Sirius Satellite Radio

NEW YORK and SANTA AGATA, Italy -- SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. today announced that Automobili Lamborghini will offer SIRIUS as its exclusive satellite radio provider in Lamborghini vehicles.

The first Lamborghini to include SIRIUS as standard factory installed equipment will be the Murcielago beginning with the 2009 model year in the U.S.

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May 12, 2008

2008 Fuel Economy Guide Available for Download

The EPA has issued a comprehensive PDF guide to fuel economy of all 2008 vehicles, which you can download by right-clicking here.

In today's gas market, buyers are more sensitive than ever about buying cars that get good mileage, and more important, they want the government ratings to be as accurate as possible -- nobody wants to buy a vehicle that gets 10% worse mileage in the real world than the sticker rating.

To address this situation, the EPA has started using an updated test to assign more accurate MPG ratings to new vehicles, and you can learn about that by watching the video in this post.

May 7, 2008

Batman Drives a Lamborghini

SANT'AGATA BOLOGNESE, Italy -- When he isn't protecting Gotham City from various villains in the Batmobile as his alter ego, Batman, billionaire Bruce Wayne's vehicle of choice is one of Lamborghini's sexiest super sports car ever built, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

Bruce Wayne's newest Lamborghini can be first seen prowling the streets in the movie's new, extended theatrical trailer shown in theatres May 2, 2008, prior to "Iron Man."

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April 29, 2008

Hollywood Stars Attend Private Event at Lamborghini Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. -- Lamborghini Orange County, the top-selling authorized Lamborghini dealer in the world, hosted the launch of the new ASUS-Lamborghini VX3 laptop computer. The celebration included Hollywood stars, socialites and more than 350 business and society leaders.

A helicopter camera hovering 500 feet in the air filmed as the Hollywood stars arrived in their heart-thumping exotic cars as Sossi Keuylian, Lamborghini Orange County owner, whisked them away from the yellow carpet and persistent paparazzi to the party.

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April 24, 2008

Stars Come out for New Lamborghini VX3 Laptop

Lamborghini Orange County, the top-selling authorized Lamborghini dealer in the world, together with computer-maker Asus International are set to debut the new Asus-Lamborghini VX3 laptop.

Celebrities will be flown by helicopter into OC, where they will take the driver's seat in the latest Lamborghini models to transport them to the event - with the entire procession filmed from 500 feet above by helicopter.

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April 23, 2008

Volkswagen Group reports record global sales

WOLFSBURG, Germany - The Volkswagen Group started the second quarter of 2008 with another global record: Under increasingly difficult market conditions, Europe’s largest automaker expects to deliver some 550,000 vehicles in April, an increase of 7.0 percent compared with April 2007.

As a result, Group deliveries during the first four months of the year will exceed the two million mark for the first time.

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Volkswagen publishes biodiversity mission statement

WOLFSBURG, Germany -- Retaining biological diversity is one of the great ecological challenges of the 21st century. Without the commitment of industry, the United Nations would not be able to meet its target of stopping or at least slowing down the extinction of species.

As a globally active industrial company, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft engages in protecting biodiversity.

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April 22, 2008

Volkswagen Group Launches Environmental Microsite

HERNDON, Va. -- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. today launched responsiblemobility.com, a microsite focused on the company's sustainable mobility strategy.

The new microsite comes as the Group's Audi and Volkswagen brands prepare to embark upon their 50-state clean diesel strategy, and as the Group continues work on next generation alternative energy innovations such as biofuels and high temperature fuel cells.

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February 2, 2008

Current Auto Rebates Has All the Updated Rebates!

With auto sales down 4.3% in January 2008, many automakers are increasing the rebate and incentive offers they have on the hoods of their vehicles.

Yet keeping track of all the rebate programs can be difficult work, which is why we began publishing Current Auto Rebates, the Internet's first document that lists every rebate program for every vehicle for same in the United States.

This 13-page PDF makes it easy for you to look up rebates on any model you're interested in, and even allows you to contact your local dealer who will give you a free price quote on the ride of your choice.

Since rebate programs can change several times per month, you may want to sign up for free updates to the publication -- when we update the document you'll get an email from us letting you know a refreshed version is available for you to download.

And if someone you know is currently shopping for a new vehicle, you may want to download a copy and email it to them -- they'll thank you for doing so!

January 30, 2008

With Home Prices Dropping, Car Prices Are Sure to Follow

It's accepted wisdom now that overall auto sales will drop in 2008. This is seen as a function of the housing bust, during which as much as 20% of new car purchases were funded by residential real estate profit, home equity cashouts and the general euphoria in real estate related industries.

Now that home prices are dropping -- and will continue to do so until they fall in line with median income -- we believe the average new vehicle transaction price will drop as well. If houses can fall 10%-30% in value, why not cars?

In November we ran a story from Comerica Bank stating the average transaction price of a new vehicle was $29,024. Our projection is this number will fall below $25,000, perhaps in 2009 if not this year, for several reasons:

1. Less money to spend. The option of taking cash out of a home to finance a new purchase is gone. The psychology of spending "free money" to buy a luxe ride will give way to folks actually having to make the payment out of their own pocket. And with many people paying even more for housing due to adjustable rates, they will choose cheaper rides.

2. Gas prices. While $3 a gallon gas isn't as draconian as five bucks, it will have an effect over time. People are already choosing more efficient crossovers and smaller SUVs over the big buses, and V8s are going out of favor. Look for more people to choose V6s in cars and for four-cylinders to pick up in popularity.

3. Negative equity. A greater percentage of folks are upside down in their cars, and have been rolling their balances into new loan agreements. To catch up, their new purchases will have to be cheaper and it's going to take years to eat away at the balance.

4. New frugality. In a tough economy, the value of money becomes more dear. People will start thinking twice about how much money they spend. They will choose cheaper cars, perhaps with more options, but the luxe-marques are in for a rough ride.

5. New wage structures. The Detroit car companies have made big headlines with their new labor deals, that allow them to replace higher paid union workers with new hires at a lower wage scale. The higher wages translated into higher sticker prices; the lower wages will allow for slimmer price hikes and even reductions.

6. Battle for fewer consumers. Don't let the tough talk fool you. As fewer cars are sold throughout 2008, the rebate war will kick into full swing -- and spiffs will help bring down the average transaction price.

This last reason is why we launched Current Auto Rebates, a site that publishes all the rebates for every model in a single PDF file, to make bargain hunting that much easier.

January 23, 2008

Harness the power of free price quotes!

Many of you have seen the link to get a free dealer price quote on our pages, as well as in our Current Auto Rebates report.

The free price quote is one of the best tools for savvy vehicle shoppers -- it's convenient, and there is absolutely no obligation to buy anything. Here are some of the other advantages:

-- You are essentially putting a bid out to local new vehicle dealers to compete for your business. In many cases, several dealers will respond to your price quote request. Armed with your knowledge of MSRP and rebates, you can then have dealers compete on price for your car buying dollars!

-- You can fill out a free price quote for each vehicle you are cross-shopping.

-- Schedule your test drive appointments. Just think, you know longer have to suffer the indignity of walking into a dealership and either being ignored or descended upon like a piece of fresh meat.

-- The dealership will have the vehicle you are interested in ready and waiting [if they are pros, which many are nowadays, given the competition of the Internet.]

-- You will be doing 90% of the work that goes into buying a new vehicle from the convenience of your own computer -- how civilized is that!

Get your free dealer price quote today!

Current Auto Rebates -- What You Don't Know Could Cost You Thousands of Dollars

Want to see all the rebates on every make and model vehicle for sale in the United States?

Current Auto Rebates has just launched a valuable 13-page PDF report that is the first of its kind -- listing all rebates for all vehicles. What you don't know about current auto rebates could cost you thousands of dollars!

Aren't you tired of clicking through page after page on web sites to find the information you need? This report has everything you need in one convenient, easy-to-use package.

Check out CurrentAutoRebates.com and get your free PDF report today!

November 14, 2007

Horsepower at a Value

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- There are plenty of powerful cars on the market today but does whopping power under the hood translate into a whopping price tag at the showroom? Not necessarily -- horsepower doesn't have to come at a premium, nor do consumers have to sacrifice quality when they buy powerful cars at a value.

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November 8, 2007

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October 23, 2007

Consumer Guide Announces 2008 Best Buys

LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. -- Consumer Guide Automotive, the leading publisher of authoritative, objective new and used car reviews for 40 years, today announced the recipients of its 2008 Best Buy and Recommended Awards.

The annual list, designed to make car buying easier for consumers, represents the best overall values in 18 categories and includes a total of 87 vehicles.

The editors then use objective criteria, such as price, features, performance, accommodations, fuel economy, reliability records and resale value, to assess each vehicle. The winners are divided into two categories: The Consumer Guide Automotive "Best Buy" and "Recommended" winners.

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September 26, 2007

'Buy American' Desire Drives Many New Shoppers to Purchase Domestic Rather Than Import Nameplates

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Despite the fact that import vehicles make up nearly 49 percent of the U.S. auto market, the country of origin still plays a crucial role in consumer choice of which make and model to purchase, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Escaped Shopper Study released today. The study provides a comprehensive evaluation of why consumers may consider one model, but ultimately purchase another.

Nearly 80 percent of new-vehicle buyers limit their consideration set to include only domestic models or only import models. Among those who cross-shop for both import and domestic models, consumers who ultimately buy a domestic frequently do so because they simply decide they do not want an import. Buyers of domestic new-vehicles also frequently decide against import brands for financial reasons, most often citing that the import didn't offer aggressive rebates or other incentives.

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September 13, 2007

Alcoa Wheels Selected for Lamborghini Murcielago Reventon

CLEVELAND -- Alcoa Wheel Products, a Cleveland, Ohio-based business unit of Alcoa, today announced an exclusive supplier agreement to provide all wheels for the super-exotic Lamborghini Murcielago Reventon.

Lamborghini looked to Alcoa Wheels to provide specialty wheels with quick to market processes for this truly exotic vehicle. With a limited production run for worldwide consumption, Lamborghini required flexibility of manufacturing expertise to develop a unique wheel to compliment the unique appearance and performance of the ultra-exclusive Murcielago Reventon.

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August 25, 2007

Report: Auto Finance Providers Exploring Direct Lending Initiatives

WESTLAKE VILLAGE -- As competition in the auto finance market intensifies, many lenders are deploying full-spectrum strategies, which consists of lenders servicing both prime and sub-prime customers, to increase volume and market share and to improve service to their dealers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study released today.

The study finds that many prime finance providers are making the transition to the sub-prime market, with 57 percent of dealers utilizing traditionally prime lenders for sub-prime customers. Conversely, only 33 percent of dealers report using traditional sub-prime lender services for their prime customers.

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August 22, 2007

LoJack Recovers Lamborghini in European Incident

WESTWOOD, Mass. -- LoJack Corporation, the leading global provider of recovery systems for stolen mobile assets, today announced its Stolen Vehicle Recovery System led Italian police to recover a Lamborghini that was purchased in France and stolen in Italy.

This cross border recovery highlights the effectiveness of LoJack's European Recovery Network, which extends from Italy and France to the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Poland and Russia.

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