Rumors of an entry-level Ferrari powered by a six-cylinder engine have been circulating around the media for nearly a decade. Ferrari's chairman Luca di Montezemolo settled the matter once and for all by saying bluntly that there will be no entry-level Ferrari: "A small and cheap Ferrari is not a Ferrari - basta!"
Brand DNA aside, di Montezemolo pointed out that the Ferrari California (picture) has been a runaway success so there is no need for an entry-level model.
Ferrari wishes to remain a pure sports car manufacturer and will not expand its lineup with mainstream models such as a SUV and a four-door sedan.
Current range Ferrari GT & Sportcars:
LaFerrari
LaFerrari: passion, technology, futuristic design and exclusivity. "LaFerrari", the eagerly awaited new model in the limited edition series from the Prancing Horse - of which only 499 examples will be built and more than twice the number of requests has already been received – is still the undisputed start at the Geneva Car Show on the second day, the show is open to the public.
963 bhp for the first hybrid in the history of the Prancing Horse with an absolute record performance: from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in less than 7. Compared to the Enzo the "LaFerrari" consumes less while the Co2 emission has been lowered by 50%.
The new car is a synthesis of the brand’s values, just like Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said during the presentation of the "LaFerrari". “It is the highest expression of excellence of our company: technological innovation, performance, futuristic style, driving pleasure. It is an extraordinary car, destined to our collectors. A car with technical solutions, which in the future will be integrated in our range and which are the benchmark for the entire sector. "LaFerrari" represents the best planning and building capacities in our Company, including those acquired in Formula One, knowledge, unique in the world.”
F12berlinetta*
The F12berlinetta not only ushers in a whole new generation of Prancing Horse 12-cylinders but is also the most powerful and high performance Ferrari ever built.
The F12berlinetta’s 200-bar, direct-injection 6262 cc 65° V12 delivers absolutely unprecedented performance for a naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine in terms of both power and revs. It has a maximum power output of 740 CV at 8250 rpm, while its specific power output is 118 CV/l, a record for this kind of engine. Responsiveness and strong pick-up are assured by maximum torque of 690 Nm, 80 per cent of which is already on tap at 2500 rpm.
Exceptional strides have also been made with regard to fuel consumption and emissions both of which have been slashed by 30% to 15l/100 km and 350 g/km of CO2, making the F12berlinetta a benchmark for its reference segment.
Its wheelbase is also shorter, the engine and driver seat have been lowered and the rear in more compact thanks to the new suspension and gearbox layout. It is a shorter, lower and narrower car than the previous V12 coupé. Weight distribution is ideal too (54% at the rear) while the centre of gravity is lower and has been moved rearwards in the chassis.
* F12berlinetta receives “Best Sports Car” award from Czech edition of Auto Motor und Sport
The readers of the Czech edition of the prestigious German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport have crowned the F12berlinetta “Best Sports car” in the traditional “Best cars” poll.
It is not the first success of Ferrari brand in the ranking as in previous years Ferrari 458 Italia in 2012 and Ferrari California in 2011 won national awards for “Best Sports car” and “Best Cabrio”. It should also be noted that Ferrari cars dominated the category “Sports car” this year with three models in the top five. Besides winning the category with the F12berlinetta, the FF and 458 Italia were amongst the top five in the sports cars ranking.
FF**
Ferrari FF Revolutionary 12-cylinder. The FF: the Ferrari Four. Four as in four-wheel drive. Four as in the four comfortable seats that cocoon driver and occupants alike.
**Apple and Ferrari: first steps together. Apple and Ferrari are two top brands, known worldwide beyond their fields. Now they started working together on products.
The first result of this collaboration debuted at the Geneva Car Show: the FF, the first Ferrari with 4-wheel-drive, as of today offers a tight integration of the world of Apple thanks to direct access to the infotainment system through the vocal command technogy Siri Eyes Free. Furthermore passengers in the back of the FF can enjoy films, play the latest video games or navigate on the Internet, thanks to two iPad Mini integrated in the backrest.
When last November Apple Senior Vicepresident Internet Software and Service Eddy Cue joined Ferrari's board of directors, Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said that his experience would become very useful: in Geneva we've now seen the first results.
458 Spider
The 458 Spider ushers in a whole new generation of Ferrari convertibles. An effortless marriage of technology, design and beauty, it is also the first car ever to combine a mid-rear engine with a retractable folding hard top that delivers both unprecedented in-cabin comfort when closed and unparalleled Spider performance.
A story that changes with the times but which also continues a glorious tradition founded in great part on fabulous open-top cars designed for hot sunny days: Spiders, Cabriolets and Barchettas. All cars that are spectacularly wonderful to drive because having just the open sky above you as you grip the wheel has a unique and truly unforgettable emotional impact: hearing the engine’s soundtrack, feeling the car’s speed, having the perfumes of the world swirl around you.
The Ferrari 458 Spider offers a whole new set of emotions and adds a genuine sense of sportiness and power to weekend trips à deux. A clever mix of sounds supplied by the car’s 570 horse power incorporates just the right notes, turning it into music to your ears: music that acts as a brilliant soundtrack not only to the pleasure of driving a Prancing Horse car but in-car chat.
458 Italia
The multi-award-winning 458 Italia. The Ferrari 458 Italia continues to go from strength to strength and has garnered over 30 international awards in its short career. Yesterday, it added two further plaudits to that collection at the International Engine of the Year Awards when its V8 was voted “Best Performance Engine” and “Best Engine Above 4 Litres”.
The success being enjoyed by the 458 Italia with both critics and public alike crosses all borders– it has won awards in a host of different nations from the USA to the Far East and Europe. In the US, the mid-rear V8 was named "World Performance Car of the Year". It was also named “Car of the Year” by the Robb Report.
Ferrari California
Ferrari California 30. Having enjoyed worldwide success throughout its career, the new evolution of the Ferrari California is characterised by the number 30. That’s 30 as in the fact that it is 30 kilos lighter and 30 horse power more powerful.
The California’s V8 now punches out a maximum of 490 hp with maximum torque climbing to 505 Nm at 5000 rpm, thanks to new exhaust manifolds and engine mapping. Its torque curve has also been modified and is higher across the engine’s generous rev range too.
2012 financial results reveal best year in Ferrari history
- Revenues: 2.433 billion euro (+ 8%)
- Cars delivered: 7,318 (+ 4.5%)
- Trading profit: 350 million euro (+ 12.1%)
- Net profit: 244 million euro (+17.8%)
- Industrial net cash position: over one billion euro
- Record sales in USA, China, Germany and Great Britain
- Operating margin on Brand-related activities up by 40%
In 2012 Ferrari posted records results in its best ever trading period in the company’s 66-year history. This fact was confirmed when the Ferrari Board of Directors met today under the chairmanship of Luca di Montezemolo to examine the company’s end-of-year results.
All the main economic indicators exceeded the previous records set in 2008 despite a much poorer world economic backdrop.
A total of 7,318 road cars were delivered to the dealership network in 2012 (+4.5 per cent on 2011), while revenues of 2.433 billion euro (up 8 per cent) were recorded.
Trading profit jumped by 12.1 per cent to 350 million euro, with net profits coming in at just under 244 million euro (+17.8 per cent) and ROS (Return on Sales) of 14.4 per cent which is very much on a par with the top companies in the luxury sector.
The company made significant investments over the last 12 months which, including Research and Development, amounted to 324.3 million euro (up from 280 million euro in 2011). This investment was completely self-financed thanks to the company’s consistent cash flow generation, a fact confirmed by its industrial net cash position for 2012 of over one billion euro.
“We are all enormously proud of ending the year with these kinds of results despite the unfavourable economic backdrop in many European nations, and the distinctly hostile one in Italy,” declared Chairman Luca di Montezemolo. “The credit for this goes to the men and women in Ferrari, the strength of the brand, a very complete and highly innovative range, and our gradual expansion into automotive markets worldwide.”
The 2012 results are in line with the company’s geographical sales distribution plan which is divided into equal parts between America, Asia and Europe, including the Middle East. To further boost its presence on the various markets, Ferrari has reorganised its commercial network so that it now has four coordination centres: America, Europe and the Middle East, Greater China, Far East.
Ferrari enjoyed record sales in the USA in 2012 with deliveries there exceeding the 2,000-car mark for the first time (2,058), an increase of 14.6 per cent (Canada included).
Europe performed very impressively with deliveries in Great Britain up by 20.4 per cent (673 cars), and by 17.4 per cent in Switzerland (357). Germany (750 cars, +8.2 per cent) confirmed its position as Ferrari’s most important market in Europe, while other main Countries in the area ended the year in line with 2011.
Results from Italy couldn’t have been more different: despite performing better than the average in a sector that registered a 60 per cent drop in sales in 2012, Ferrari ended the year with 318 cars delivered to dealerships, a 46 per cent decrease on the 2011 figure.
The positive trend in the Middle East and Africa continued with an increase of 4.5 per cent with deliveries of cars rising to 556.
Greater China (People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) retained its position as the second largest market with a record 784 cars delivered (+4 per cent), just under 500 of which went to China. Japan, a long-established Ferrari market, made a significant return to double-figure growth (+ 14.4 per cent), with 302 cars delivered.
The results delivered by brand-related activities (Retail, Licensing and e-commerce), which underwent reorganisation in 2012, were excellent too, showing a 40 per cent increase in operating margin to over 50 million euro.
Retail results were up 5 per cent, thanks also to a new interior design concept which will be extended to the 50 Ferrari Stores around the world.
Growth was impressive too in licensing (+22 per cent), while e-commerce revenues were in excess of seven million euro (+31 per cent). Ferrari enjoys a particularly extensive presence on the various web channels and social networking sites, having recently passed the 10 million fan mark on Facebook.
On the sponsorship front, the Scuderia welcomed its first Chinese partner, Weichai Power, whose parent company, the Weichai Group, is one of China’s largest conglomerates. Ferrari also strengthened its links with other companies that lead the world in their respective sectors, including Hublot, Kaspersky Lab and TNT.
