Automotive News speculates on the future of Ferrari
Is Ferrari recession proof? It sure looks that way for now as Automotive News takes a look at what the Italian supercar brand has in store for the next few years. To date, the order books seem to be holding steady in spite of the turmoil in the financial markets, but whether that situation remains six months from now remains to be seen. In the meantime, the prancing horse brand is pressing ahead with a new generation of cars over the next five years. In spite of the high prices paid for Ferraris and the huge performance they deliver, even they are not totally immune to the realities of the world around them.New models will incorporate some fuel saving and performance enhancing technology beginning with the California. The replacement for the F430 will pick up the direct injection system and dual clutch gearbox while also losing some weight. Lighter weight construction will also spread to the rest of the lineup including the next limited production model that succeeds the Enzo. The new California will start appearing in European customer hands in the next couple of months with Americans can get their turn next June. The V12 599 Fiorano will get a retractable hard-top in 2012 while the 612 Scaglietti gets a full redesign a year earlier.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Noidor 8:38PM (10/17/2008)
I think it's important for Ferrari not to get greedy and start expanding their line-up, and then end up with over-capacity.
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Mobius_1 5:40PM (10/17/2008)
Scaglietti getting redesign? Excellent, it always been a great car, with all the Ferrari magic, but with rather lacklustre looks
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Kitko 5:44PM (10/17/2008)
What's going to happen to caviar producers in the the global financial turmoil?
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Nick 5:57PM (10/17/2008)
They should work on quality. Ferraris are notorious for bad quality...and competitors like Lamborghini have put extreme effort behind creating high tech high quality cars.
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Noah 6:07PM (10/17/2008)
Sure, as long as your Lamborghini doesn't go up in flames on the side of the road... I'm sure the build quality is fantastic ;)
Victor 10:46PM (10/17/2008)
Ferraris are beautiful cars....but you're right, the quality is really lacking. But then again, the owners usually drive less than a few thousand miles a year.
TelegramSam 2:12PM (10/20/2008)
You're confusing quality with sensitivity. You have to understand that reliability is not something that goes hand and hand with a car that is built with the precision of a space craft (They have to be repaired after each use, but you'd be hard pressed to call them poor quality).
Cardude 5:49PM (10/17/2008)
I wonder how many times "sports car" will be mentioned?
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James 9:47PM (10/17/2008)
Ferrari's going to do fine. Especially after they leave Formula One once Max and Bernie finally manage to kill the series, they will have money to burn on new product.
Not having money to burn personally, I always wonder how they handle the product transitions with their long waiting lists. Suppose I'm scheduled to receive my F430 Scuderia in 2010... and the new F480 Schumi takes the place of the F430... does my order automatically switch to the new car? Or does Ferrari keep building F430s until the list is satisfied?
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Pde 5:35AM (10/18/2008)
Don't worry they aren't leaving F1 and if they are the whole series dies and there will be new F1 with out Bernie.
Ferrari is about F1 and racing.
Richard 7:41AM (10/18/2008)
It is not Bernie, but Max who is intent on whipping the snot out of F1.
Thay are turning it into a "makes" series with shared spec engines - just like CHAMP car - or whatever they call that. When the series no-longer serves to differentiate the marques (because eventually they'll have the same engines, probably the same chassis with different stickers) the major manufacturers will leave and there will be no more F1.
Just reading the F1 blogs and listening to the Brit commentators whinge about how much money is spent in F1 on things like motor homes and client entertainment, it is very clear that these folks no-longer have the stomach for the pinnacle of motorsport and, for the heavy guilt they obviously carry, would feel better would F1 become a series racing Skoda sedans and serving up sardines and crackers as amenities.
Clearly, Max is intent on quelling the collectivist dreams of all these folks.
jim 10:15PM (10/17/2008)
Ferrari's relative recession proof-ness is proportional to the number of cars they sell. The greater the output the more susceptible they will be to weakness in the economy
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ken_aisin 11:36PM (10/17/2008)
Never been a fan of Ferrari, but if their new designs share the same inspirations as the new California, then good luck.
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steve 11:25AM (10/18/2008)
the rich arent hurting and they are still spending money on high priced items...people who can afford Ferrari's or Lambo's dont get hurt financially by spending $200k and up....plain and simple
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