*f355 Spider, Vin Zffxr48axw0110587 (1998 Usa Model). on 2040-cars

Auto blog

FCA launches Ferrari IPO

It's been a long time coming, but the moment is finally upon us: Ferrari is hitting the stock market. Its parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has announced the launch of Ferrari's initial public offering – almost exactly a year to the day since FCA launched its IPO (pictured above). And with it, FCA is starting the process of separating the Maranello-based exotic automaker and racing team away from the rest of the Italian-American industrial empire. The plan filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) calls for FCA – which owns 90 percent of Ferrari – to float 17,175,000 common shares on the New York Stock Exchange. That amounts to nine percent of Ferrari's common shares. Another 1,717,150 common shares (equal to 1 percent) will be offered to the underwriters of the IPO. The remaining 80 percent interest in the Prancing Horse company will be separated from the rest of FCA and distributed to the parent company's shareholders – of which Exor, the Agnelli/Elkann family's holding company, is the largest, holding a stake of about 30 percent. Currently registered as New Business Netherlands NV, the company is soon to be renamed Ferrari NV. And while it's nominally based, like its (soon to be former) parent company, in the Netherlands, there's no reason to anticipate at this point that Ferrari will move its operating headquarters away from its current and historic home in Maranello, on the outskirts of Modena in Italy's "supercar valley." The IPO is expected to be priced at or around $50 per share (give or take a couple of bucks), which would value the company at around $10 billion. Trading won't actually commence, however, until all the SEC filings are complete. At that point, the company will be listed on the NYSE under the symbol RACE. And whether you yourself are actually interested in trading in Ferrari shares or not, that could be one of the best parts of the announcement. FCA Announces Launch of Ferrari Initial Public Offering LONDON, October 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU / MI: FCA) ("FCA") and its subsidiary New Business Netherlands N.V. to be renamed Ferrari N.V. ("Ferrari") announce today that Ferrari has launched its initial public offering ("IPO").

Ferrari going with turbo V8s, hybrid V12s

More for less – that's what automakers are striving for: more output with less fuel. For some that means downsizing and employing turbochargers. For others, it means going hybrid. With its latest models, Ferrari has embraced both – or rather, either – but don't expect its twelve-cylinder engines to get a set of snails, or its V8s to get an electric assist. The latest intel paints a picture of Ferrari going two different routes. As it is, the company offers (much like it has for the past several decades) both V8 and V12 supercars, and it's bringing both types into the modern era, but in different ways. As demonstrated with the California T and 488 GTB, Maranello's eight-cylinder models will shrink in capacity but add turbochargers to increase their output while decreasing their fuel consumption. Meanwhile the engine in the LaFerrari showcases the direction in which its twelve-cylinder models will go: hybrid V12 powertrains. "There will be no turbos on our V12s," an unnamed source reportedly told Autocar. "Expect instead to see 48-volt systems on the next generation." With the eight-cylinder models already having adopted their turbochargers, that means we can expect the replacements for the FF all-wheel-drive shooting brake and F12 Berlinetta two-seater to go hybrid in their next iteration. We'd expect the former to arrive first, with the hybrid F12 to arrive sometime thereafter. The company first toyed with the prospect of a hybrid twelve with the 599 HY-KERS concept showcased at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The first production application for the hybrid system was on LaFerrari, but of course the Scuderia developed a much smaller 1.6-liter V6 that's both turbocharged and electric-assisted for Formula One. Related Video:

Ferrari embroiled in legal battle over 21-year-old's Facebook page

Ferrari is facing a court battle in Switzerland due to alleged copyright infringement over taking over a Facebook fan site. If the suit is successful, it could cost the company millions and harm its reputation on social media.
Sammy Wassem started the Facebook fan page for Ferrari when he was 15 and eventually grew it to over 500,000 followers. In 2009, the company congratulated the him on the site's success, but said that "legal issues" forced it to take over the administration, according to Automotive News Europe. Wassem could still use the site, but managers had oversight.
Wassem asked Ferrari for financial compensation to keep working on the page but continued creating content on it for the next four years. Eventually, the company terminated his administration rights, and In 2013, the he and his father Olivier filed the lawsuit against the business alleging it owes payment over 5,500 hours of work and copyright infringement for taking over the page. They are asking for 10 million Swiss francs ($11.3 million).