Ferrari plans hybrid model expansion, eyes 10,000 sales

NEW Ferraris from 2019 onwards will feature some form of electrification as the supercar brand targets greater performance and efficiency on the way to a “possible” 10,000 annual sales.

Ferrari chief executive and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chief Sergio Marchionne has reportedly told financial analysts this week that there will be a “fundamental shift” in the company’s approach to building cars.

The company is on track to register 8000 sales in 2016, and Marchionne said there is potential to easily surpass five figures within the next decade.

"Although I neither commit to this nor do I give any sort of certification of it being our objective, it is possible that the [annual sales] number could be well in excess of 10,000 cars in 2025," Marchionne is reported to have said.

Ferrari, notably under former boss Luca di Montezemolo, has previously resisted the urge to increase sales, instead aiming to focus on exclusivity.

A modern-day successor to the Dino is expected to contribute to sales growth. The model, which would join the Ferrari California T as one of the brand’s entry-level models, is rumoured to materialise either in 2018 or 2019.

Speculation also points to a hybrid variant in addition to a turbocharged V8 model, as Ferrari shifts hybrid technology from just a single model – the circa-$3 million LaFerrari flagship – to the rest of the range.

The successor for today’s F12 is expected to be first ‘mainstream’ hybrid Ferrari in 2020, when all signs point to the V12 being paired with at least one electric motor.

Earlier this year, UK magazine Autocar uncovered Ferrari patents that indicated Ferrari was working on technology capable of a 48km electric-only range.

Ferrari’s share price lifted seven per cent this week after the company announced an eight per cent increase in sales and a 10 per cent increase in adjusted core earnings for the third quarter.