The second part of just-auto’s series concerning FCA’s passenger vehicle brands centres on Ferrari. A look at what’s ahead for Alfa Romeo was recently published, with features on Maserati; Lancia; Fiat & Abarth; Chrysler, Dodge & RAM; and Jeep to follow.
Ferrari N.V. was officially created in January 2016 and partially floated on the stock market. FCA retains its majority holding and there is no chance that a rival OEM could make a takeover bid for the sports car maker.
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Engine development and manufacturing expertise is a particular strongpoint of Ferrari. The company now supplies a biturbo petrol 3.0-litre V6 to Maserati for the Levante SUV and also produces a far more powerful 2.9-litre version for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio SUV will also have this 375kW (510PS) engine.
FCA next plans to tap Ferrari for high performance petrol-electric hybrid R&D. This will be used to develop such powertrains for the three premium Italian brands in the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group.
Supercars & hypercars
FCA has watched Porsche expand again and again in the last decade, to the point where the German firm now builds close to a quarter of a million vehicles per annum, versus way fewer than 10,000 Ferraris.
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By GlobalDataSUVs are not part of the Italian company’s future, its parent claims, though the temptation to develop one must be enormous, given the potential returns. Ferrari would have to erect a new production plant to accommodate such a model or outsource it to either an FCA factory or a contract manufacturer. That being the case, for the moment, we should believe the official line that no rival for the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Lamborghini Urus is planned.
Having ruled out an SUV, Ferrari is instead heading in a different direction, which appears to make less economic sense. Adding a cheaper supercar below its current models should, however, make the brand more accessible in the richest markets of today and tomorrow.
The so-called ‘Dino‘ is to be an additional model and is due for release in 2019. It will likely share much with the Maserati Alfieri, including Ferrari’s own, more powerful version of the biturbo V6 which it is developing for that car. Expect pricing to start at around the EUR150,000 mark (US$159,000) or around 50,000 euro less than today’s cheapest model. That would also be about double the cost of the Alfieri.
The California, which has been on the market since late 2008, should be the next model to be replaced. That will probably happen in the coming months, with the car’s successor expected to turn up at the 2017 Geneva motor show.
Originally known as the F149 California, the existing front-engined roadster had its world premiere at a charity auction event in California in September 2008. This roadster’s roof system is supplied by Webasto and the company should also provide the top for the new car.
There are both two- or four-seater formats and this should be carried over too. The engine was originally a 338kW 4,297cc V8 but a more powerful version of the same unit was part of a series of upgrades for the car.
The F149 California name would change to ‘California M’ at the time of a mid-cycle update in 2014, Ferrari stated in April 2010, with the project code becoming M149. The car’s name did change, but to California T. The facelifted model premiered at the Geneva motor show in March 2014.
Along with the subtle restyle came a new engine. This 3,855cc turbo V8 produces a claimed 560cv. That means a 70cv rise in power and a 49 percent torque gain, but the CO2 average fell by 20 percent to 250g/km.
Other changes for the California T included reduced steering wheel activity and improved steering response courtesy of a new steering box and suspension set-up. New springs and latest-generation Magnaride dampers (which respond 50 per cent faster) are also fitted.
The first European market deliveries of the California T (for turbocharged) commenced in Europe and North America during the third quarter of 2014.
Along with a new turbo V8, the Cali T’s replacement is expected to have four-wheel drive and to offer a hybrid variant. Prices should also rise towards EUR200,000 versus the EUR181,000 which Ferrari charges for both two- and four-seater variants in the Italian market.
One rung up the pricing ladder is the 488, which is another aged model. Launched as the 458 Italia, this two-seat replacement for the 430 had its global premiere at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009. The Italia was powered by a mid-mounted 4,499cc 90-degree V8 that developed a claimed 425kW at 9,000rpm. The gearbox was a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, making this the first Ferrari not to be available with a manual gearbox.
A convertible had its global debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2011. This variant, the 458 Italia Spider, had the same engine as the 458 Italia. It went on sale in Europe in October 2011.
A further variant, the 458 Speciale, was revealed to the public at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013. It was powered by a 650cv 4,495cc V8. The 458 Speciale A, which had a retractable aluminium roof, premiered a year later at the 2014 Paris motor show. Only 499 were made.
The 458 evolved into the 488 GTB. This model was seen for the first time at the Geneva motor show in March 2015 and entered production six months later. As well as a major restyle, there was a new engine.
The 488’s biturbo 3,902cc V8 produces a claimed 660bhp. It is not the same unit that powers the California T as that turbo V8 has a capacity of 3,855cc. The 488 GTB is rear-wheel drive only and has a seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox. The 488 Spider has the same engine and is the convertible version. Its global debut was at September 2015’s Frankfurt IAA and it went on sale from the following month.
Ferrari is expected to continue building the GTB and Spider at its Modena works until the first quarter of 2020, at which time a 488 replacement which should use the same architecture as the California’s successor, should appear. Given how old the 488 really is, Ferrari may instead see that it needs to bring forward the successor to late 2019. That would be just shy of the model’s eleventh year of production.
Costing roughly 30,000 euro more than the 488 GTB and 488 GTS respectively are the €230,730 GTC4Lusso T (3.9-litre V8, RWD) and €267,265 GTC4Lusso (6.3-litre V12, 4WD) hatchbacks.
Developed under the F151 project code, what is now the Lusso has been manufactured since the first quarter of 2011. The FF, which was Ferrari’s Pininfarina-styled replacement for the 612 Scaglietti, was the firm’s first 4×4 production model. The name signified four seats and four-wheel drive.
The front-mounted engine was new at launch. It was a 6,262cc V12 that produced a claimed 660 horsepower. The transmission was a dual-clutch automatic. The car was fitted with a magnetorheological damping system (SCM3), as well as Brembo-supplied carbon-ceramic brakes. The top speed was quoted as 335km/h and 0-100km/h was said to take 3.7 seconds. A big car, the FF was 4,907mm long, 1,953mm wide and 1,379mm high.
As has become Ferrari’s habit, as part of this supercar’s mid-life facelift, there was a name change. Thus the GTC4Lusso is not the new model it was claimed to be. The 6,262cc V12 produces 507kW and torque is 697Nm. Another engineering change was the addition of rear-wheel steering.
The GTC4Lusso went on sale in its first European markets during August. A month later at the Paris motor show, a second derivative, the GTC4Lusso T, debuted. This swaps the V12 engine for a 449kW (610CV) turbocharged 3,855cc V8. While it retains four-wheel steering, unlike the all-wheel drive GTC4Lusso, the V8-engined T sends its power and torque to the rear axle only.
The follow up to the Lusso should appear in the third quarter of 2020 and begin being built soon after. Expect a hybrid powertrain and again, both rear- and four-wheel drive variants.
Yet another far from fresh car is the F12berlinetta, which has been built since mid-2012. This replacement for the 599 series had its global debut at the Geneva motor show in March of that year.
According to Ferrari, its supplier Scaglietti designed a bespoke spaceframe chassis and bodyshell using 12 different kinds of alloys for the F12berlinetta. A 20 percent increase in structural rigidity over the 599 is claimed, while weight is said to have fallen by 70kg to 1,525kg.
The F12, which has the F152 project code, is powered by a 6,262cc 65° V12 with maximum power stated as being 740 CV, with 690Nm of torque. A dual-clutch transmission is standard. Ferrari says the car accelerates to 100km/h in 3.1 seconds.
A one-off variant, the F12 TRS, was announced in June 2014. This was followed by the October 2015 announcement of the F12tdf (Tour de France), a limited run of 799 cars. The tdf gained 40PS, making a total output of 780PS. Torque was also up, by 15Nm, to 705Nm. Ferrari claims this car will reach 100km/h in 2.9 seconds.
The F12 successor is expected to have a hybrid powertrain but the new model is still more than two and a half years away. Expect it to have another bespoke platform, which can be more than justified given that the current car is priced from €275,093 or as much as €378,424 for the tdf.
LaFerrari, the effective replacement for the long-discontinued Enzo hypercar, was revealed at the Geneva motor show in March 2013. The company said only 499 examples would be built.
The car is powered by a 6,262cc V12 engine and two electric motors, which produce a combined 963hp. The standard transmission is a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.
The hybrid system is composed of two electric motors developed in collaboration with Magneti Marelli – one powering the driven wheels and the second the ancillaries – and a battery pack attached to the floor of the carbon fibre chassis.
The batteries are charged in different ways: under braking (even hard braking with the ABS active) and every time the V12 produces more torque than required, such as in cornering. In the latter instance, rather than the being sent to the wheels, excess torque is converted to energy and stored in the batteries.
The electric motor is coupled with the F1 dual-clutch gearbox to the benefit of optimal weight distribution, but also boosting energy efficiency as torque is instantly available to the wheels and, vice versa, from the wheels to the electric motor in recharging.
LaFerrari Aperta, a roadster, had its world premiere at the Paris motor show in September and production of this car will continue into 2017.
An even more extreme version, the so-called ‘XX‘, is believed to be under development. This might be the rumoured model said to be undergoing final development and due to appear next year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first Ferrari-badged car.
Future model plan reports for other manufacturers can be viewed in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
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