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The Ferrari Enzo's designer isn't worried about the future of supercars

Ken Okuyama is a talented designer with a prestigious portfolio. He spent 12 years at the famed Italian design house Pininfarina after a stint with GM's Advanced Design Studio, where he worked on the C5 Corvette. He also styled the Boxster and 996-generation 911 at Porsche. His first Ferrari design was the Rossa concept car, though his most famous creation is the Enzo. Now Okuyama runs a design studio that not only is responsible for the new Kode57 supercar that debuted in Monterey this past weekend, but also eye glasses, civic planning, and even Japanese bullet trains. We caught up with Okuyama at the Concorso Italiano car show, plopped down on a couple of plush leather chairs right in front of his brand new Kode57, and chatted about what the future holds for car design. Alex Kierstein: Lately there's been a lot of talk about autonomy and future mobility. What sort of challenges and opportunities do you think this autonomous future is going to provide for you as a car designer? Ken Okuyama: It is a really fantastic time for designers because of two reasons. One is that the public and private transport have been two separate, completely different industries up until now. Now, when you think about the future of autonomy, that really brings the automobiles into something more of a public transportation. You really have to think about the total experience of the customers from buying the ticket to the paying mechanism. That's just hardware, actually. It is a huge challenge for engineers and designers, and I really love that. That's one reason. Another reason is that just like horses were a means of transport 100 or so years ago, up until Henry Ford mass-produced the Model T. Now, maybe sports cars are becoming like horses. Now, horses are a great object for hobby, sports, and part of the Olympics and everything. Cars are going to be like that also. Dr. Porsche [was asked what type of] automobile is going to last for the longest time. He said, "the sports car." I really believe in that, because with sports cars, you never lose a sense of ownership. Autonomous vehicles are things you don't have to own. You have to design a total experience and the whole operation. A car, you want to own it. It's part of you. Your mechanical watches, do you borrow them from somebody? You want to own it. Your suits, your favorite shirts, you want to borrow them from somebody for your experience? No, you want to own it. Ownership is a core part of human beings.

Marchionne takes total control of Ferrari as CEO and chairman

Ferrari is undergoing another changing of the guard as Amedeo Felisa retires from his longtime role as CEO. In his place, Sergio Marchionne will add the job to his absurd list of responsibilities. An engineer by training, Felisa has been with the company for 26 years, and some form of Fiat for nearly 50, having come to Maranello in 1990 after two decades at Alfa Romeo. He took charge of Ferrari's road-car division in 2001, was named general manager in 2006, and got the CEO job in 2008 after Jean Todt left to run for president of the FIA. Felisa's role as chief executive was seen as all the more important after Luca di Montezemolo was shown the door. Rumors persisted recently that Felisa was on his way out. With Felisa gone, Marchionne will be left running the company more directly than he has been as chairman for the past two years since supplanting Montezemolo. As it is, Marchionne serves as CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, chairman of CNH Industrial (the merged entity of Fiat Industrial and Case New Holland), and directly runs the NAFTA region for FCA, splitting his time between offices in Detroit, Turin, and Maranello. We wouldn't be surprised, then, to see Ferrari name a new CEO, or at least a senior manager to run the day to day and take some of the pressure off Marchionne, as adept as he's proven at wearing multiple hats. The company is in the process of reforming itself as a corporate entity separate from FCA, positioned more as a luxury brand, and is seeking to rediscover its former winning form on the racetrack. In the meantime, while Felisa steps down with immediate effect, he will remain on the board – his term having recently been renewed – as a technical advisor, just as Todt did before him. Related Video: Ferrari announces CEO succession Maranello (Italy), 2 May 2016 – Ferrari N.V. ("Ferrari" or "Company") (NYSE/MTA: RACE) announces the retirement of its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Amedeo Felisa, after 26 years of dedicated service. Mr. Sergio Marchionne will assume those responsibilities while retaining his current role as Chairman of the Company. Mr. Felisa will continue to serve on the Board of Directors of Ferrari with a specific mandate as technical advisor to the Company. Sergio Marchionne had this to say: "I have known Amedeo for more than a decade and I have had the opportunity to work with him closely for the last two years. He is beyond any doubt one of the best automotive engineers in the world.

Lewis Hamilton takes pole position at German GP as Ferrari falters

HOCKENHEIM, Germany — Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the German Grand Prix on Saturday, while Sebastian Vettel's miserable form continued for Ferrari as he was unable to even set a time and will start from the back. It got even worse for Ferrari as Vettel's teammate Charles Leclerc was unable to start the last part of qualifying, known as Q3, and is set to begin from 10th place on the grid on Sunday. "I don't know really how we did it today. I'm not quite sure what happened to the Ferraris," Hamilton said. "I think if Leclerc had done a lap at the end, it would have been close between us." Ferrari is winless in 10 races this season and that terrible run looks to continue, while Hamilton is aiming for a sixth win in seven. It was a record-extending 87th pole for the five-time world champion, who is 11 wins shy of Michael Schumacher's record of 91. Hamilton starts on the front row alongside Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who knocked Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas into third place. Red Bull's Pierre Gasly goes from fourth. "A bit disappointed with qualifying and I just struggled," said Bottas, who is level with Hamilton on four poles this season. "Ferrari (were) extremely quick and we knew it would be difficult to beat them ... We've been a bit lucky." Vettel, who crashed at last year's German GP despite leading from pole, looked visibly upset as he climbed out of his car in the team garage. The incident happened during the first part of qualifying, making him one of five drivers eliminated from Q1. The issue appeared to be related to a turbo problem, even more surprising given Ferrari had topped all three practice sessions heading into qualifying. Worried faces in the Ferrari garage turned to sheer horror as mechanics then detected a problem on Leclerc's car, ruling him out of the top-10 shootout in Q3. "Mine was a fuel system problem. It is a shame but we will be trying to understand what happened and not to reproduce it. The car felt great today so it's a shame it ended like this," Leclerc said. "I feel for the whole team. I will give absolutely everything to make everyone smile again tomorrow." Television footage showed a Ferrari fan in the stands sinking his face into his hands in disbelief. Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff was sympathetic when commenting on Ferrari's latest setback. "It is a shame for Ferrari and for Sebastian at his home GP," Wolff told broadcaster Sky Sports, adding.