812 production delays?

Shorter production and lead times will significantly impact resell value of the cars and Ferrari will start depreciate like Porsches.

For a Lusso, which is supposed to be a daily, or the higher production Portofino, you might want 6 months.

For 488s, 812s, ...., 1 to 1.5 year is actually a good thing

 

Very well put!

 

A month ago there where more 812's than Lusso's on the line, at a guess I would think about 70% 812's over the Lusso.
I think we have to remember how few of these cars are made every day.

 

Yup. Ford makes as many F series trucks in a day as Ferrari made FFs in five/six years.

 

Latest news is no US dealer received any 812 allocations in January. Same to date for February. Rumor is any 812’s that do go into production this year will be 2019’s.

Sounds to me Ferrari is moving 812 production to higher profit regions.

Appreciate any news from others as they speak with their dealers.

 

Just curious - what might make US a "lower profit" region?

 

My dealer has delivered 6 cars. 4 at my regional dealership. Some were air freighted to save time.

 

The smarter move would be 95% 812 and 5% Lusso on the production line.

 

Most recent update is there were again no production slots for US dealers in February of 812's which would be for May production. The indication is there is a "supplier" issue. My guess and only a guess is some emissions part specific to the US.

Would appreciate hearing from others as to what they are being told.

 

Maybe there’s a supplier issue with those awesome front bumper side market reflectors for the US market.


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Ferrari has stated that the 2018 production goal is to sell 600 more cars. Accordingly they have ramped up the work shifts on the production line.

I think this a good thing for both sides, customers and company. After all it is silly to make a customer wait four years or maybe even have his dealer tell him that a regular range model is sold out. If supply is so out of step with demand why spend so much on the marketing side, hosting all of these elaborate new model debuts all over the world, conducting these massive press events, video campaigns, etc

A competent marketing sales VP should be able to predict demand given Ferrari is a boutique iconic brand with a 70 year history and an intimate relationship with a very specific customer base.

 

Have you seen the € purchasing power of the US$ recently?

 

Same issue here in the UAE no cars set for March and maybe just one car delivered this month alone, i think it is a global delay not just the US

 

Latest update for the US market:

As stated before dealers did not get any allocations in January and February. What ever cars are at red10 forward is all the dealers should expect to receive between now and June. No specific reason given. If not a supplier issue and you read the press release from the sweater man about improving margins, likely a “currency” play and producing cars for markets with the greatest margin.

Appears 2018 812’s will be a rare car in the US.

 

Significant delays has led to near zero or a trickle of allocation right now. And this could go on while the problem is being sorted. As clockem mentions, 2018 812s will be rare for sure in the US. No question about it. Disappointment for people expecting their 812 soon or this year (like me).

 

If currency play then why not slow down 488GTB production as well?

As the Euro increases in value over USD, they do earn less because the price in USD is inelastic, that's for sure, however, the USA is more than 25% of the overall market, so, holding back production does not account for the loss of 25% of the market not being satisfied, it would also result in a rather large downturn in overall year-over-year production, do they really want the production numbers to drop?

Also with the rumored/indirectly referred to, indication that 2020 is first year of 812 hybrid replacement then there would only be 2018 and 2019 model years for 812S production, and I also understand dealers are not getting demo models in the USA (even those that travel from dealer to dealer) - because they are in short supply. I wonder if there is some problem with the drivetrain (i.e. first year with electric steering), because what supplier issue would take 6 months to 'catch up' with an annual production of probably less than 1500 cars per year and would result in a complete multiple month hold on allocations and deliveries? Might be some engineering problem that needs to be resolved. So if June becomes September, or later it would seem to be related to an engineering issue with drivetrain, I wonder if we will ever know for sure...

 

Found this recent article, does not mention Ferrari but does mention problems are still being worked out, I have no idea if this is the supplier for Ferrari

http://www.autonews.com/article/20180115/OEM10/180119936/thyssenkrupp-supplier-advanced-steering

this is interesting to note:

But the failure rate with EPAS (electric power assist steering) is seen as more critical because from one second to the next, you don't have assist anymore.

There are some mechanical issues that cause failures, but the main reason for failures are torque sensors. So we are working very heavily on the software side to develop functions which allow you to have a certain amount of assist, even if certain failures happen. It might not give you the same steering feel, but it is a lot better than no support.

And, for what is worth, the new Maserati Ghilbi will use electric steering too:
https://www.motoring.com.au/2018-maserati-ghibli-revealed-110550/

 

My 812 drivetrain feels just fine lighting up the rear tires in 3rd gear! My dealer hasn’t had any allocations this month and doesn’t have any 812 allocations until June.

 

Does you dealer have any idea why there is a production hold/delay?

 

The dealer didn’know why?

 

I thought I would add this reference since there were stories of other manufacturer issues with electric steering systems...

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/812-electronic-power-steering.550810/

I picked on this as being a possible candidate for production delay because it is something completely new to Ferrari (I know TDF has rear wheel steering, but if that fails you can still safely drive/navigate) and numerous problems with other brands...and the inability to steer the car would be a very big problem...and what else would cause a long production delay, most of the other impressive technology in the 812S has been in use on other Ferrari models for a long time.

 

Could this difficulty they are having with EPAS be a reason why many critisize the handling of Portofino? They say it lacks the feedback and too light when counter steered

 

good point, this from earlier this week:

https://portofino.ferrari.com/en/news/the-ferrari-portofino-japan-premiere

" The Ferrari Portofino is also the first GT in this range to be fitted with EPS (Electric Power Steering) "

And since the Portofino first goes on sale in August (2018), watch if its production becomes delayed, if so, then would be even more suspect of the EPS/EPAS system being source of 812S delay.

Of course it could be something else, but, and I ask because I do not know, when has a new Ferrari model been suddenly put on production hold shortly after its launch? If this happened before, what model was it and what caused it?

 

Most of the car is really same old same old. What's new is the EPS as you stated, the engine is 70% new and then don't forget the software for all the ECUs that had to be updated. There are tens of millions of lines of code (literally) and most of it not possible to completely test. Then there are also software upgrades for vulnerabilities. There could be a newly discovered security issue that won't fly in the US or other areas where there are new laws. After that nimrod remotely attacked that Chrysler and sent it into a ditch with his home computer, my F12 received software upgrades to close the vulnerabilities.

Just going through the likelihood of possibilities if there is indeed a parts-based issue and not some other motivation. A bad hard part can be milled and shipped in a couple days. Software takes time to develop, test, integrate and deploy. Suggest keep asking the dealer. He has to be able to get the info. I can imagine him on the phone asking what to tell his clients besides he has no clue. Best.

 

Wait a second, this is the first I am understanding that the F12 has over-the-air updates (via a hidden cell phone that is integrated into the car)...

Are you certain of that? I was not aware that any Ferrari model has this ability (aka like FCA and Jaguar as we as others do), are you certain of this? If so, which models have this hidden cell link that enables over-the air updates ?