Posted on 01/17/2018 12:01:11 PM PST by nickcarraway
Ferrari will make a battery-electric supercar to snatch some market share and attention away from Tesla, the dominant player in the luxury electric vehicle industry, CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The Italian race car brand’s move towards electrification signals a shift not just for the company, but for Marchionne, who also heads Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Marchionne also confirmed plans to bring a Ferrari SUV to market by late 2019 or 2020, Bloomberg reported. Reports of a Ferrari SUV first arose in August.
There are scant details on this impending electric Ferrari. The company will presumably want to produce an electric supercar before Tesla brings its new and improved Roadster to market in 2020.
More information on this electric Ferrari will likely come out when Marchionne unveils the company’s five-year plan, his last as CEO. Marchionne, one of the auto industry’s longest-serving CEOs, is set to retire in 2021. He’s held the top role since 2004.
The five-year plan is expected to set a higher annual deliveries target for Ferrari than its current self-imposed limit of 10,000 cars. Ferrari’s future will include hybrid cars, Marchionne told Bloomberg, “so going from there to an electric is easy.”
Marchionne’s comments—particularly those in an in-depth interview with Bloomberg ahead of the Detroit Auto Show—are in contrast with how FCA has operated in the past. The company has lagged behind other automakers scrambling to introduce electric vehicles and deploy commercial fleets of autonomous vehicles. FCA has focused more on its existing brands and partnerships, like its one with self-driving vehicle startup Waymo.
But Marchionne now believes that automakers have about 10 years to reinvent themselves to meet the changing consumer mindsets on how vehicles are purchased, driven, and powered. His impending five-year plan should address how FCA hopes to meet these new demands.
But will it have a nitrous booster?
Same great idea like non-alcoholic beer.
An electric supermarket?
I guess you rock down to electric avenue to get your groceries.
How fast is it when it’s plugged in?
OK... Now I’m interested.
It is sort of like which would you rather have, a $10 digital watch, Or a $10,000 mechanical with all the gears showing? If you have that much money to burn.
No kidding. Will it do as well as the electric Harley?
I wonder if they will work with YASA motors (duck duck go them ) and use 2 or 4 of their motors. 4 would be one for each wheel, 200hp / wheel, 42 or 48 lbs each. Batteries in the skateboard fashion below the floorboard for a low C.G. Ya, I can see this work, w/ solid state batteries coming.
Ferrari will have a tough time out-performing Tesla in this area. May do better with luxury features and user interface, but powertrain will be hard to beat.
Battery powered Hot Wheels!
Naysayers should understand that EVs are actually a real pleasure to drive. Extremely smooth, quiet, amazing acceleration. Yes, battery capacity & recharge time are issues, but those are improving well into the “doesn’t matter” realm, and almost never having to “fuel up” in normal use is a paradigm shift.
Ha. It may be coming. As long as they wont sell an electric Corvette, Im all good.
Electric Ferrari Ping!......................
Enzo sta rotolando nella sua tomba!
Oh yeah. Post some links that back that up.
“Naysayers should understand that EVs are actually a real pleasure to drive.”
They will never sound like a V12.
This is a mistake. It can only boost Tesla’s stature and diminish Ferrari’s,
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