'08 612 Ferrair Scaglietti on 2040-cars

Auto blog

A Ferrari SUV? First you'll have to shoot Marchionne

Almost every car company has its own SUV in the range. Porsche added this kind of vehicle almost 15 years ago and it may have saved the company, Bentley decided to join this growing segment launching the Bentayga, and Jaguar is doing the same with the F-Pace. Everyone is trying to get the most from the growing Asian market (China especially) launching models very appreciated over there. But not Ferrari. This is what came out from an earnings call with the Ferrari CEO where analysts asked how he was thinking to reach the goal of selling 7,000 units/year, balancing the slump of 22% of the Chinese market: "I don't think it's going to recover this year," said Marchionne, "but we won't make an SUV. You have to shoot me first." Since the spin off from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ferrari's share price has fallen and this news is not good for investors that expected high profit for 2016. Ferrari has a racing history, and SUVs are not to be part of this history any time soon; the image of the Prancing Horse would come out damaged from this choice and Marchionne seems to know it very well. Related Video: Image Credit: Ferrari Ferrari Crossover SUV Sergio Marchionne open road

Ferrari's Enzo successor to cost 1M euros?

If you're planning to pick up the newest hypercar from Ferrari, you may need to do more than save your pennies. Automotive News Europe reports the Enzo successor will cost more than 1 million euros, or $1.34 million at current conversion rates. That's before taxes, too. All told, Ferrari will build just 499 examples of the tentatively named F150 according to reports. The Italian automaker has neither confirmed nor denied the price or production figures, though Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has said the machine is already sold out worldwide.
We do know the hybrid will serve up more than 900 horsepower thanks to a new naturally aspirated V12 direct-injection engine and an electric motor. The automaker says its HY-KERS hybrid system has cut fuel consumption by some 40 percent. Of course, adding an electric motor to the party has added some 330 pounds to the driveline, a fact Ferrari has offset by using carbon fiber for the machine's chassis. Word has it the F150 will have a curb weight similar to the Enzo at a shave over 3,000 pounds.

Ex-Ferrari chairman sounds off on IPO

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo preferred to put exclusivity over profits when he ran the company, and the lower volume still meant huge amounts of cash for the business. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has since taken over Ferrari, but that hasn't stopped di Montezemolo from voicing his opinions. "I hope that the clients will remain more important than the analyst or the investor or the financial markets," di Montezemolo said prior to his induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported. The former chairman argued that once on the stock exchange, a company would need to maximize profits quarter after quarter to keep investors happy. Conversely, di Montezemolo said Ferrari's years of success came from an "exclusivity in terms of number of cars, exclusivity in terms of how you deal with the clients." When di Montezemolo left Ferrari last year, he and Marchionne were scuffling about the future of the brand, including the health of the Formula 1 program. With the change in leadership, the company has reversed course in some ways. Where volume was previously kept around 7,000 units annually, the carmaker has set a new goal of closer to 10,000. The paperwork was filed for the IPO, and Marchionne thinks the company could be worth over $11 billion. The actual shares are rumored to go on sale in October. Related Video: