Ferrari’s fightback plan
Battling rivals on all fronts, Maranello is under pressure. Here’s how it’s rising to the challenge
1 The hybrid cometh
Ferrari’s first hybrid since the LaFerrari is imminent. In March, Maranello debuted the F8 Tributo, successor to the 488 GTB and Ferrari’s last non-hybrid V8 supercar. ‘It’s unfair to say the F8 Tributo will be the last non-hybrid V8 Ferrari supercar,’ says Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial ocer. ‘But it’s correct to say that the next [V8 supercar] will probably be hybrid. This will come very soon – a couple of months from now.’
2 Full electric?
Not just yet…
Despite the proliferation of EV hypercars, Ferrari’s in no hurry to ditch petrol. ‘This technology is not mature enough to talk about a Ferrari with only electric power,’ says technology ocer Michael Leiters. ‘With Ferrari we are talking about sound and weight – these are key. For these reasons an all-electric car does not fit with us right now. We work to create emotions. If you have to enhance the sound, that is one thing; but creating it from scratch is something else.’
3 China: the challenges and the opportunities
‘In contrast with other manufacturers, we have always tried to grow organically in China,’ says Galliera. ‘We are not experiencing any drop in demand, and we have a strong portfolio of people willing to wait for a Ferrari. For the future we are developing the V6 engine, which has benefits in terms of duties exemption [3.0 litres is a key tax threshold in China] and also electrification – this will give us the possibility to create a new approach.’
4 Work continues on the ‘spectacular’ Purosangue
‘The plan is to launch [Ferrari’s SUV] in 2022 – that hasn’t changed,’ says CEO Louis Camillieri. ‘I’m not concerned about being late [with the SUV]. I’m more concerned about being the best, and I’m confident that we will be. Sometimes you have to take your time in order to get the best result. There’s been some scepticism [about a Ferrari SUV] but we’re confident that when the Purosangue finally comes out it will be spectacular.’
5 Sergio Marchionne’s vision survives (broadly speaking)
‘I’d say there’s been a change in style [since previous CEO and chairman Marchionne’s death last year] – we developed the strategy as a team,’ says Camillieri. ‘With these cars it’s a question of detail. The fundamental strategies have not changed dramatically, and they shouldn’t, but when you consider the specific models, the details and the customer focus, that’s where there have been changes.’