If Ferrari announced all cars will be manual again, what percent of current sales would they have?

Another silly hypothetical internet poll.

Ok, so all the talk about manuals and F1's. If Ferrari announced that they were no longer going to sell the F1/DCT, whatever you call it, and go back to traditional manual gated shifters for ALL of their cars, would they still sell as many cars as they do today. Assume all prices remain the same.

Assume that even with the best drivers the new manuals will suffer a little in performance numbers. Worse 0 to 60, worse 1/4 mile etc. The magazine stats will be worse than the year before, car for car.

(And just imagine the DCT market going nuts because they are not making them anymore. Haha)

 

Assuming pricing remained the same, they would lose 75-80% of their customers.

 

I went with a 20% loss of customers.

This is based on the sales gains over the last 10 years (2007 to 2017) which would put levels back at about 6,500 units per year. The big assumption here is that all the sales gain the last 10 years was from automatics, which can't be absolutely true. Further, automatics have been available as an option going into the 1990s which I did not try to consider. To me (right or wrong), the big turning point in transmissions for performance cars started around 2005 to 2007. Ironically, there was an article recently that only 18% of Americans knew how to drive a stick- Ferrari would need to draw from that pool.

Let the flaming begin!

 

They'd lose me. I never learned. Drat the luck, being born poor & in NYC w/ all those trains and buses. Hopefully, the Transmission Police won't come and take my Cali and retro-fit it for MT, or my goose is cooked!
T

 

They'd sell every single last one of them.

 

I agree 100%

 

They should!

 

No, please don't, I'm too old a dog to learn a new trick! [emoji2] Actually, I've become quite adept at using the paddles, and maybe when I retire, it'd be fun to learn to drive a stick.

Seriously though, if Ferrari went all manual, and their competitors did not, with the advent of companies like McLaren, etc., I think they'd look like Lotus. A small core of enthusiasts. Sales settling to one third to one quarter of what they are now, once the hard core enthusiasts are satisfied.
T

 

DCTs are amazing, while I certainly understand some people prefer rowing their own gears, it's harder and more expensive to offer it with then next gen cars will be offering 800+ hp.

 

Many years ago before we were even married, I tried to teach my wife to drive my manual transmission Corvair Corsa. She just couldn't grasp the whole clutch, gas, shifting sequence. Then later we bought her a Toyota Corolla automatic. I'll never forget her words to me, "Once they invented the automatic transmission, why would anybody buy a manual transmission"? [slaps forehead]

 

Oh, and to answer the poll question, I think Ferrari would be able to sell both of them!

 

Americans (~30% of market), ~50% of which know how to drive a manual, would learn how to drive a manual just for the street cred and pride in owning the exclusive Italian exotic.
The other 70% of their current global market already knows how to drive a manual.
If ALL Ferrari's were powerful gorgeous Italian exotic manuals.....they would sell every single one of them...and....with the same exact waiting list.

 

They're Ferraris. They'd still sell all they make.

 

I think sales would double. A Ferrari and a stick. Quite unique. Many of the current customers may switch brands, but boatloads of real Ferrariste would pile on.

 

They'd lose the rich show-off poseur crowd, which to be honest makes up a lot of their new car sales. Also, many younger people have no idea how to drive a stick and have no interest in learning because they donn't romanticize is like we do. I say they'd drop by 30-50%.

If they added a manual option like Porsche does they might actually increase sales a bit.

 

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Then go do something else Captain Exciting....

 

Sorry but I'm more like Captain Obvious.

Why don't we have a thread "How many more cars would Ferrari sell if they were only black?"

The manual people make the same arguments, the auto people make the same arguments -- and nothing changes.

 

having a manual car is a great theft preventer.
it also is a great preventer of people borrowing your car.

unfortunately, for normal cars, it also insures that you will never be able to sell it.

 

Depends where you were born, bred and taught how to drive.
I had to learn MT to pass d license test. AT was considered a lesser license and still is in some countries.
So to me pure bliss IS a MT. I drive MT in 90% of my cars and for sports cars I love it.
AT/DCT is cool and fun - but gets boring after a while.
Look at Porsche - they took out MT fir a PDK AT option only. Didn't last they now offer the MT again. As they should [emoji106]


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what a grumpy old man insulting post. walk into a room and tell the crowd their conversation is boring.


I drove a california and thought it would be wonderful with a stick. If I were buying new and it were an option I would choose it. But I'm not so my input to Ferrari matters not.

 

I don't think the Mayor was trying to be insulting. I'm sure you know as well as any long-time ferrarichat members the stick vs dct is probably the most overplayed/discussed topic that usually ends with zero resolution.

In summary:

Which is better?
---------------------
Objectively - DCT is faster but usually more costly for repairs
Subjectively - some say the Manual for the feel.

Why no manual?
----------------------
Niche sports car companies (sans Porsche) have found it did not ultimately help the bottom line.

Why can Porsche do it?
---------------------------------
Because they have an economy of scale to absorb the cost (they make more cars in 9 months then Ferrari made in 70 years)

What to do if you must have a manual?
----------------------------------------------------
Buy either an older Ferrari or a more plebian vehicle (i.e. 4C/Vette)
or
Create a business case and arrange a meeting with Sergio and convince him

That's all that pretty much can be said about the topic, the rest is just banter.

Cheers

 

That's what I was hoping to do with this thread and poll. Offer Sergio the results from the FChat brain trust that showed they didn't need no stinkin DCT, that they would sell as many cars with plain old manuals. Sadly I was mistaken.

When we want to know why the manual died we need to take a collective look in the mirror. It was us, that was our gated shifter! We're maniacs! We blew it up! Damn us! Damn us all to hell!

 

You have my full support! Unfortunately it means nothing because my balance sheet is a few zeroes short of their target demographic.

 

This is "FerrarCHAT"
People come on here to pose questions, discuss things Ferrari, and generally waste some time BSing around about things we are interested in.
No one is forced to open and read a thread, much less imply the discussion is pointless.
Don't like the thread...then don't post in it.
Just that simple.
No time for Internet know-it-alls.