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Crunch watch July 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman, Ben Whitworth and Alex Michaelides Motor Industry 31 July 2009 11:23 Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the seismic change in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour  Friday 31 July 2009• Lamborghini today posted pre-tax profits of €5.4 million – despite a sales drop of 37% in the first six months of 2009. Sant'Agata said turnover hit €156.9m in the first half (down 43%) as it sold 825 cars globally (Lamborghini)• British motorists could have to pay £250 in tax to park at work from 2012.

Jeep pickup at least 4 years away, CEO says

Jeep CEO Michael Manley says a pickup truck remains a high priority but a Wrangler-based hauler is at least four years away. "It is too late in Wrangler's product cycle to add a pickup. The 2015 or 2016 time frame makes more sense," Manley said during an interview at the Frankfurt auto show.

Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell (2010): the electric SLS

Following the unveiling of Tesla's updated Roadster 2.5, Mercedes is showing off its iteration of an all-electric sports car: the SLS AMG E-Cell. While the regular SLS pumps out 563bhp and 479lb ft from its 6.2-litre V8, the SLS E-Cell has four synchronous electric motors, powering all four wheels for a combined output of 392kW (equivalent to 526bhp) and a mammoth 649lb ft of torque. Crucially, all of that power is accessible from zero revs, allowing the E-Cell to sprint to 62mph in four seconds dead.