At some point we may have to let Sergio Marchionne know there is a danger in stating he would need to be shot before one of his brands does something. When it comes to protecting the Ferrari brand it’s certainly admirable on his part that he wants to keep the brand as clean and free of some of the powertrains we see today, but how long will Ferrari be successful with this type of thinking. Even though Ferrari was one of the only successful brands under FCA last year, how long with that continue if the thought process is to avoid what the rest of the market is doing.
Previously Marchionne stated he would have to be shot before Ferrari would build an SUV, even though most of the competition already has including their most direct competition, Lamborghini. Now he has put the statement out to the world, during the Geneva Motor Show that he would have to be shot before Ferrari would built an EV model. Of course this is coming from the same man who stated he hoped no one would buy the Fiat 500e because every sale cost FCA $14,000. If it costs this much to make the Fiat 500e then why make the car in the first place? That is a question for another time.
Concentrating on Ferrari the statements that have been made ensure the brand and most likely FCA as a whole might be in trouble in the near future. In order to grow it’s important to embrace change, even in a brand that is supposed to be one that is looked as a premier super car brand. Without advancing the powertrains and adding SUVs in the same manner as the other supercar brands Ferrari is simply holding itself back; rather Marchionne is holding it back.
Even if the brand did not embrace an SUV at this time, they already use electric motors to improve performance in the LaFerrari. Doesn’t that give us a gateway to the need to have an EV model that will impress and excite us, but instead the head of the company has chosen to turn a blind eye to the possibility of what an instant torque electric powered super car really could be. Ferrari could be the brand that gives Tesla its biggest run for the money, but instead an EV is blasphemy according to the leader of the company.
While some will applaud this narrow minded approach to the premium brand and name, the fact remains that if Ferrari does not eventually embrace the changes their competitors already have over them, they will not survive. Developing new technology and embracing the fact that there are customers out there who would love to have a Ferrari SUV and EV in their driveway to go with their Ferrari supercar has so far escaped the brand and its leadership, hopefully not to the detriment of the name of Ferrari that has been built on years of high quality perfectly engineered products.
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