Tag Archives: vehicles

Lamborghini Expands Its Canadian Footprint With a Redesigned Vancouver Showroom and Full Hybrid Lineup

Lamborghini threw a party in Vancouver last night, and it wasn’t just about champagne and ribbon cutting. The Italian supercar brand unveiled its redesigned West 2nd Avenue showroom with the company’s entire hybrid range on display—including the 1,001-hp Revuelto HPEV flagship, the newly minted Temerario twin-turbo supercar, and the Urus SE plug-in Super SUV.

The guest list was suitably high-octane: Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann made the trip, joined by Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Federico Foschini and Americas CEO Andrea Baldi. Their presence underscores just how seriously Lamborghini is taking the Canadian market, particularly Vancouver—a city known for having the country’s densest concentration of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

“Strengthening our presence in Canada elevates the Lamborghini experience for our clients,” Winkelmann said at the event. The logic is sound: British Columbia has become one of Lamborghini’s fastest-growing regions in North America.

The redesigned facility has grown by more than 5,500 square feet and now includes six service bays, a nine-car showroom, a second floor, and a revamped Ad Personam studio where buyers can lose themselves in leather swatches, paint samples, and endless carbon-fiber trim options. It’s not just about more space; it’s about giving Lamborghini’s increasingly demanding clientele a proper stage to dream up their perfect spec.

The timing is strategic. Lamborghini has been on a tear, delivering 5,681 cars globally in the first half of 2025—a 2 percent bump over the same period last year—with the Americas accounting for nearly a third of that total. More importantly, the Vancouver opening marks another chapter in Lamborghini’s Direzione Cor Tauri plan, which completed the hybridization of the brand’s entire lineup in 2024. The goal: carbon neutrality by 2050 without sacrificing the raging-bull performance ethos.

And performance is still very much the headline. The Revuelto, with its mid-mounted 6.5-liter V12 and three electric motors, produces north of 1,000 hp and cracks 350 km/h. The Temerario, Lamborghini’s newest bloodline, is a twin-turbocharged V8 plug-in hybrid pumping out over 900 hp and hitting 62 mph in 2.7 seconds. Meanwhile, the Urus SE proves that even family haulers can be ballistic, blending a biturbo V8 with electrons to summon 789 hp and a 312 km/h top speed.

VIP guests at the event got an up-close look—and an early sense that hybridization doesn’t mean dilution. If anything, Lamborghini’s move into electrification has only amplified its madness. The new Vancouver showroom is more than just a retail space; it’s a statement that Canada’s West Coast is ready for the future of raging bulls.

Source: Lamborghini

Suzuki Victoris: Maruti’s New Global SUV Aims Big with Hybrid, CNG, and Style

Maruti Suzuki, India’s undisputed passenger-car powerhouse, is adding serious muscle to its SUV arsenal with the launch of the all-new Suzuki Victoris. Built at the company’s state-of-the-art Kharkhoda Plant, the Victoris is aimed squarely at the booming Indian SUV market—where SUVs now account for about 60 percent of all passenger-car sales. But Maruti isn’t just building this model for local showrooms; the Victoris is headed for export to more than 100 countries, signaling Suzuki’s global ambitions for its newest utility player.

Bold, Futuristic Sheetmetal

At first glance, the Victoris makes its intentions clear. This SUV wears a sharp, chiselled body, LED lighting at both ends, and a stance that leans futuristic without being too polarizing. It’s the kind of design that could stand tall on Indian roads crowded with compact crossovers, yet still look sophisticated in global markets.

Inside, Suzuki has dialed up the premium vibe. The instrument panel is heavily styled, while a 64-color LED ambient lighting system bathes the cabin in a glow that’s more luxury lounge than budget commuter. The mix of modern design and day-to-day comfort aims to put Victoris shoppers a notch above the usual Maruti experience.

Three Flavors of Efficiency

Maruti knows one size doesn’t fit all in India, so the Victoris comes with three distinct powertrain options:

  • A 1.5-liter mild-hybrid with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic.
  • A 1.5-liter strong hybrid, paired exclusively with a CVT.
  • A 1.5-liter CNG variant, which breaks new ground with an underbody tank layout—freeing up cargo space usually eaten by bulky cylinders.

The hybrid models rely on lithium-ion batteries supplied by Suzuki’s joint venture, TDS Lithium-Ion Battery Gujarat Private Limited, reflecting the brand’s ongoing investment in electrified powertrains.

Safety and Tech for the Daily Grind

The Victoris doesn’t skimp on the tech checklist. Buyers can expect collision mitigation braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view camera, and even tire-pressure monitoring—features still not guaranteed in many Indian-market SUVs. Comfort tech includes power-adjustable seats, a hands-free power tailgate, and a 10.1-inch infotainment system that runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

For audiophiles, Maruti is making a statement: an eight-speaker Infinity system tuned for Dolby Atmos 5.1-channel surround sound. That’s more concert hall than commuter pod, and easily one of the most premium audio setups in this price-sensitive segment.

Market Positioning

With dimensions measuring 4,360 mm long, 1,795 mm wide, and 1,655 mm tall, the Victoris slots neatly into the compact-to-mid-size SUV bracket. But Maruti’s real play here isn’t just size—it’s breadth. Few SUVs in India offer a choice of mild hybrid, strong hybrid, and CNG under one roof. Add in export ambitions and a clear push on safety and tech, and the Victoris looks like more than just another Arena offering.

Maruti Suzuki is betting big on Victoris to capture SUV intenders who want futuristic looks, greener choices, and richer in-car experiences. And given the segment’s explosive growth, the Victoris might just be the right SUV at the right time—not only for India, but for a much wider world.

Source: Suzuki

Hydrogen-Powered BMW X5 to Join the Lineup in 2028

BMW has never been shy about hedging its bets when it comes to future propulsion. While rivals charge headlong into battery-only electrification, Munich is keeping every card on the table—petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, EV, and now, hydrogen. In 2028, the X5 will officially gain a fuel-cell variant, marking the brand’s first hydrogen-powered model to be offered to paying customers.

The move builds on BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet, which has quietly been logging miles since 2023. Those vehicles, strictly used for testing and development, ran a Toyota-supplied second-generation fuel-cell stack paired with BMW’s own integration. With a combined 396 horsepower and a WLTP range of 313 miles, it was a promising appetizer. The main course arrives in four years, powered by BMW’s third-generation system.

Smaller, Stronger, Smarter

The new setup, developed once again with Toyota, is said to be 25 percent smaller than the iX5 Hydrogen’s unit but offers more power density and greater efficiency. BMW says it’s modular by design, meaning it can scale across multiple vehicle platforms. Production of the stacks will take place in Steyr, Austria, while other key components—like a new hydrogen-specific high-voltage brain dubbed the BMW Energy Master—will be built in Landshut, Germany.

Prototypes are already being pieced together at Dingolfing, with BMW board member for development Joachim Post promising “improved range, higher output, and significantly greater efficiency” compared with the current pilot fleet. Translation: expect more horsepower and more miles between fill-ups from the new X5 Hydrogen.

A Limited-Run Experiment

BMW won’t flood showrooms with this one. Sales will be limited to markets where hydrogen refueling infrastructure actually exists—a caveat that should temper any expectations of wide availability. That said, the X5 Hydrogen represents an important milestone: BMW’s first commercial hydrogen passenger vehicle after decades of dabbling.

A New-Gen X5, A New Look Inside

The hydrogen variant will ride on the upcoming fifth-generation X5, codenamed G65, which itself is due in 2026. Early prototypes reveal styling cues lifted from the next iX3, including sleeker lines and a more aggressive stance. Inside, the transformation is more radical. Out goes the familiar instrument cluster and the long-serving iDrive rotary controller. In their place: a panoramic projected display, a 17.9-inch widescreen central interface, and full reliance on voice and touch inputs.

The Long Game

BMW’s hydrogen strategy may seem contrarian in today’s EV-hungry market, but it’s a deliberate hedge. The company insists that hydrogen fuel cells can coexist with battery EVs, especially for long-distance and heavy-use scenarios. With Toyota as a partner and a modular system capable of scaling across platforms, the upcoming X5 Hydrogen is less a one-off experiment and more a test case for a wider rollout down the road.

The future of hydrogen cars remains uncertain. But BMW, never one to ignore an engineering challenge, is betting there’s room for both plugs and pumps. In 2028, the X5 will let customers decide.

Source: BMW