Ferrari Plans An All-Electric Supercar
Highlights
- Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne said electric supercars are doable
- Ferrari will first introduce hybrid models to its line-up
- Ferrari's next offering will be an SUV set to unveil in 2019 or 2020
While Ferrari sits at the pinnacle of internal combustion engine motoring, the rapidly changing landscape in the auto world is compelling the exotic car maker to think out of the box. The manufacturer has turned out to be the latest to support electrification and says it plans to enter to the EV space with an electric supercar. Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne said that it if an electric supercar is to be made, Ferrari will be the first. With the exception of the Rimac Concept One, electric supercars still allude the market but Ferrari just might change that in the next decade.
Speaking to Bloomberg at 2018 Detroit Motor Show, Marchionne said, "If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari will be the first. People are amazed at what Tesla did with a supercar. I'm not trying to minimize what Elon did but I think it's doable by all of us."
The move towards electrified supercars won't happen overnight, nor would you see the company dump its conventional offerings. Instead, Marchionne says that the process will be more evolutionary with the Italian automaker developing hybrid models first and "going from there to an electric is easy," Marchionne added.
That said, Ferrari knows a thing or two about hybrids and even electric cars, and has in fact being employing the technology altough partially. The automaker's mighty LaFerrari uses a V12 engine coupled with electric motors for a combined output of 950 bhp. Obviously, a lot of these technologies are transferred from the company's Formula 1 efforts that are developed and improved every year.
Ferrari's electric dream is still sometime away and when it does hit the market, expect the e-supercar to be a major sales driver for the company. The period will also give the automaker time to develop technologies for an electrified future.
Meanwhile, Ferrari is working on its iteration of an SUV. The super SUV, Marchionne said will be "the fastest on the market" and will be arrive by 2019 or 2020, as a direct rival to the Lamborghini Urus.