Once upon a time Ferrari insisted it would keep annual production well below 10,000 cars. In 2019, the five figures cap was breached and in February, company CEO Louis Camilleri said he saw an especially strong 2020 ahead. Now, commencing today, the company has idled factories and put staff on a fortnight’s paid leave. Looking beyond COVID-19 though, Ferrari will reinvent itself in the 2020s with all manner of new models, including electrification and an SUV.
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By GlobalDataFerrari says it will from now on base all models on one of two platforms: a front-engined vehicles architecture, and another for mid-engined models. The SUV due for launch in 18 months’ time will use the first platform.
Cars
The F8 Tributo isn’t quite as new as it might seem to some. It is derived from the 488 GTB and even older 458 Italia, the first of those two having been launched at the 2015 Geneva motor show. Four years later came a facelift, a power gain of 50CV and the current name. The engine, which is a 720CV and 770Nm 3,902cc turbocharged V8, was previously used for the 488 Pista and 488 Pista Spider.
Engineering wise, the F8 isn’t too far removed from not only the 488 GTB but the earlier 458 Italia. That car went into production in December 2009 before gaining a new body and evolving into the 488 in 2015.
Ferrari claims the Tributo’s dry weight is 1,330kg, the top speed 340km/h, a 0-100 km/h time of 2.9 seconds and a 0-200 km/h time of 7.8 seconds.
The F8 Spider, announced six months ago and soon to enter production, has the same engine as the F8 Tributo. A genuinely new model to replace this series is expected in 2023.
The successor for what started life in 2008 as the F149 California before changing names to California T in 2014 was announced in August 2017, a few weeks ahead of its public debut at the Frankfurt IAA. The Portofino is a 4,586mm long 2+2 coupé-convertible, powered by a 441kW (600CV) turbocharged V8.
The life cycle, as with almost all FCA vehicles, should be a long one. Ferrari tends to give its cars a facelift, a revised or fresh engine and a new name after five or six years. Which means in the case of the Portofino, a major change in 2022 or 2023 with production of the revised and renamed model set to continue until around 2026.
More details on the eight-year old 812 series and the successor model – expected to be a hybrid – can be found in PLDB (see link below). Ferrari has continued to develop this car, the latest derivative being the 812 GTS, which is the Superfast with a retractable hard top. Revealed in September 2019, it has the same 800CV and 718Nm 6.5-litre V12. Production, due to commence in April or May, could be delayed slightly.
The Roma, a 4,656mm long 2+2 coupe, was announced to the media in November. The engine is a 456kW (620CV) and 760Nm 3,855cc biturbo V8 driving the rear axle via an eight-speed dual clutch transmission. The car can be thought of as the Portofino convertible although Ferrari insists that is not the case as 70 per cent of the components are unique.
Production was due to commence in April but will inevitably be delayed due to the Maranello plant being closed from today for two weeks – possibly longer. Like so many other companies based in Italy, the firm is battling the effects of COVID-19, keeping workers safe and dealing with a lack of delivered components. Once the SARS CoV-2 virus and supply chain issues are resolved, the Roma should have a life cycle of nine years with a major facelift and likely name change in 2025.
The SF90 Stradale, in production for three months now, should have a five-year life cycle. Weighing in at a claimed 1,600kg, this car uses a bespoke platform constructed from carbon fibre and aluminium.
Positioned above the front-engined 812 Superfast, this is the company’s first a plug-in hybrid powertrain and has stated power of 1,000CV (986hp). The name comes from Scuderia Ferrari, the firm’s Formula 1 team, and the company’s 90th anniversary (2019). Zero to 100km/h is said to take 2.5 seconds, 0-200 km/h is reached in 6.7 seconds and the top speed is 212 mph.
The ‘F154’ V8 has a capacity of 3,990cc and produces a claimed 769 hp as well as 590 lb-ft of torque. There are three motors producing a combined 217 hp: two at the front and one at the rear between the engine and gearbox, giving all-wheel drive. A 7.9 kWh lithium-ion battery allows an electric-only range of up to 25 kilometres or sixteen miles. Drive is to both axles via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission supplied by Magna International. Magna Powertrain builds this gearbox at its Neuenstein factory in Germany.
SUV
As the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan demonstrate, if a luxury brand wants to crank up the volume, then a big SUV is the way to do it. Ferrari, which is shooting for pre-tax profit of between 1.8 and 2.0bn euro EBITDA in 2022, needs such a vehicle then. Inevitably, the provisionally named Purosangue (thoroughbred) should lift the firm’s annual production towards 15,000 by mid-decade, possibly sooner.
The SUV will be one of 15 new or refreshed models to be released between 2019 and the end of 2022, Ferrari’s CEO told investors 18 months ago. By the same timeframe, up to 60 per cent of the company’s models will have hybrid powertrains. FCA has been talking about a Ferrari SUV for three years now, so the Purosangue should arrive in 2021. It will use a front/mid-engined architecture. More details in PLDB.
Reports for many other manufacturers’ future models are grouped in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future product program intelligence
More detail on past, current and forthcoming models can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database. That includes Ferraris which were not discussed in the above report.
This was the second feature in a series examining the current and future models of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ passenger vehicle brands. The series commenced with a focus on Fiat and Lancia. This was followed by a look at Maserati and Alfa Romeo. The next brands will be Chrysler and Dodge, then Jeep, with the series completed by what’s in the pipeline for Ram.
