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Stefano Domenicali Appointed Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann to Lead quattro

If they were to live, Ferruccio Lamborghini and Enzo Ferrari would throw tantrums at the men who lead the automakers founded by them. I don’t know how to soften the blow on this story, so here’s Johnny: Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann will be replaced by former Scuderia Ferrari team principal. I know, right? Winkelmann will be the new CEO of quattro GmbH of Audi AG as of March 15, 2016.
Stefano Domenicali and Stephan Winkelmann 6 photos
Photo: Collage made by autoevolution
Stefano DomenicaliStephan WinkelmannHeinz Hollerwegerscreenshot of the press releasescreenshot of the press release
As far as a game of musical chairs goes, this one left me open-mouthed. The man who led Scuderia Ferrari from 2008 to 2014 will soon be in control of Lamborghini and the man who modernized the Raging Bull will head the high-performance division of Audi. But then again, Lamborghini has close ties to Audi considering how similar the Huracan and R8 V10 are. Stephan Winkelmann replaces Heinz Hollerweger, who will retire after just about four decades with Audi.

The funniest thing, though, is the adjacent press release and the fourth and fifth photographs in the gallery. A simple CTRL+F shows that Domenicali isn’t mentioned in the release though the images provided with the release include a picture of Domenicali. Intriguing is a euphemism. It seems like old rivalries have resurfaced between Ferrari and Audi-owned Lamborghini. I won’t bore you with the background of these guys.

Instead, there’s a paragraph in the release that once again confirms the production of the 2018 Lamborghini Urus. The “highly sporty SUV” is slated to enter production two years from now at a site in Sant’Agata Bolognese, the stomping ground of Automobili Lamborghini. The spiritual successor of the Lamborghini LM002 sport utility vehicle will be anything but similar to the V12-powered Rambo Lambo.

The high-riding 2018 Lamborghini Urus will be powered by a 4.0 twin-turbo V8. It’s an all-new unit that will see the light of day under the hood of the 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo and it’s a technological showcase considering that electric turbochargers are on the menu. Look forward to more than 600 horsepower. For the first V8-powered Lamborghini since the Jalpa from 1981, the Urus is a promising gentle giant. The 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show is expected to be the venue where the production model will make its world debut.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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