New Direction for Ferrari

Exactly

 

Maybe it’s more of an FUV. Ferrari said they were building an FUV. In the past Sergio said they were considering things such as gullwing doors in order to improve ingress/egress into the 4 seats as well as to be able to retain a two door layout. What they do will not be a conventional SUV according to what they’ve said so far. Could they deviate from what was said, yes. I guess we will see. I cringe and dry heave at the idea seeing a cavalino rapante on an SUV. It’s offensive and disgusting and should never happen. Lucca had the business plan for Ferrari and its best interests figured out and implemented. Elkann and Sergio raped Ferrari and pimped it out into this SUV nonsense.

 

i think once we see it , it wont be as brand disruptive as expected. If they didnt aim for a ~$150k srp on the Cali i cant see them doung it on this. i bet its $300k+ and looks more like a lifted lusso than an suv

 

I completely agree.

 

If Enzo was alive today he would make an SUV for the wealthy so he could go racing.

Enzo made many more GT’s than pure sports cars in the 60’s and 70’s.

The GT of that era is the sport Ute of today. Same purpose.

 

from Wikipedia (Maserati): In July 1997, Fiat sold a 50% share in the company to Maserati's long-time arch-rival Ferrari (Ferrari itself being owned by Fiat). In 1999, Ferrari took full control, making Maserati its luxury division.

so why doesn't Ferrari just design and engineer a kick-ass, performance/luxury suv and put a "Trident" badge on it? The money all goes to the same accountant.

 

The Levante is a half pregnant concept rushed into production using Maserati parts bins. The USA dealers were begging for an SUV to help Maserati sagging sales of Q ports and Granturismo's. They got one but they also got one that impresses no one.

If you look at the Alfa Stelvio, it's a much better car. Its because the all new platform was designed from scratch to be a sedan and an SUV.

If you stuck a Maserti badge on the Stelvio it would not sell. If you stuck a Ferrari badge on the Stelvio, it would damage the Ferrari brand.

The only solution is a great Ferrari ground up SUV that really stands above and can command a price tag over $200K to start.

 

I mean a clean (or pretty clean) sheet design FROM FERRARI.

 

This is SOOOOOO true! I just don't get it - Except that there was huge (unsubstantiated) chatter about 'bigger is safer' years ago. Many of the holiday makers who stay in the apartments around me have problems getting their giant SUVs into our standard width size garages, even though they have power steering. I love zoomimg in with the 500!

 

A 60s GT compares to a current sport ute? Ya kidding, right? SUV drivers almost universally barrel down the highway and as soon as they come to a corner, they virtually stop! It may be POSSIBLE to drive the Levante or Cayenne at speed other than in a straight line, but has anyone ever witnessed it? I certainly have never seen such an event.

 

This is what drives me crazy about arguing on Fchat.

No imagination. Yes, I do compare them because they are both GT's. People use the Cayenne today like a sports sedan.

Enzo gave us the 400, complete with GM slushbox. Please explain to us why he wouldn't have made an SUV if they existed in his time.

The ONLY thing Enzo wanted was to sell cars to rich people so he could go racing. Today, that's been corrupted into the opposite -- Ferrari wants to go racing to sell cars to rich people.

 

What price will they sell for? The cheapest Cayenne in the UK is £55k. Not sure if it is a tractor model with an oil burning skeleton in a biscuit tin engine or a proper petrol engine, but Ferrari probably won't sell one that cheap I very much doubt. If they did it would cheapen the brand but perhaps might sell.
If it is going to be way more expensive then it will only be owners of existing Ferrari sports cars that buy it?
I don't see how it helps the brand.

 

They did. They simply weren't given the marketing label of SUV.

 

Ok, what was this called then? Bad Ass Lamborghini thingy?

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Perfect way to tell the badge snobs from the actual enthusiasts, good riddance.

 

There were several SUV vehicles that were popular in the 70s-80s. The Blazer, Bronco I & II, GMC Jimmy are good examples. They just weren't a hit with the soccer-mom crowd until the mfgs started calling them "SUV".

 

Not going to lie, you make a fair point about what Enzo would have done... He wanted to sell cars to fund his racing program.
But couldn't we also argue that trucks existed back then- why didn't he build a truck? Or an SUV back in the 80s (he was alive back then)? Because it wasn't a fast car, that's why. He made fast cars for the street.

 

Bad ass truck and all..but lambo saw dollar signs when they were approached by the Saudi government to build a truck for the military. There is a big nasty story behind it that is quite interesting..I think wikipedia explains it pretty well, but there is more info about it around the web..be that as it may..I would love to have one.

 

There is a great thread about the LM here on Fchat https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/lm-002-thread.224360/

 

As a two time Porsche owner, I disagree. Their cars might be faster, safer and more fuel efficient. But they are not "better than ever" Porsche build quality started to decline shortly after they hired a Japanese consulting firm in 1996 to show Porsche how to build more cars at a lower cost. They even farmed out contracts to manufacturers in Finland to help with assembly.

I spent an hour and 1/2 at the Porsche Experience Center a couple years ago behind the wheel of a new 911 Carrera 4S. My 1995 Porsche 968 Cabriolet feels much more solid and well built than that $100K car with 900 miles on the odometer.. Porsche used to be a unique manufacturer of sports cars of a particular nature. Today they are a product of mass production whose direction is determined by shareholders and board members.

IMHO

 

If the majority of Ferrari culture doesn't want an SUV, the solution is simple: stop buying the station wagon, and tell your dealers you'll never buy the SUV. Nothing speaks louder to a manufacturer than hearing no one wants a product.

 

My assumption is there must be a very large profit margin in SUVs or a company like Ferrari would never consider the vehicle. If their entire years production is 8k vehicles give or take and those vehicles are pretty much presold. Why would Ferrari bump any of the vehicles presently being produced with a lower profit margin vehicle, certainly not for brand image?

Perhaps to keep up with everyone else, Merc, Porsche, Jag, Bentley, Lexus, Nissan, etc. but that is certainly not the sign of a company leading the market rather one following the market. If that is the case then Ferrari has accepted the company will no longer be successful on the basis it was founded as it is no longer a trendsetter- hmmmmmm tough pill to swallow. Sure hope that is not the case.

 

That’s right. Ferrari is not going to bring in ANY vehicle that has little profit margins.... which will displace production space from high profit units. Let’s be clear...... it will still have performance....it will still have a hearty price tag. Maybe it will not be $400k..... but it will be significantly over $200k.... maybe over $300k. Also, while they may sell lots in the USA their target market is Asia Pacific..... where younger rich families want do it all status vehicles and garage space is often an issue, so you cannot have 1 of this, 1 of that... etc.

 

If it's something like the SCG Boot, which was made for off road racing, it could be cool. It has to be about racing if it's a Ferrari.

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I think Ferrari should build an SUV they are just leaving money on the table if they don't... We have owned SUVs since before they called them that and right now I think the best on the market is the Cayenne our Cayenne Turbo is great .. very nice driving a good as it gets for an SUV.. there is no reason Ferrari could not build one even better and get rid of the models that don't sell.. Why build a Lusso which does not really fit anywhere ... change that to a V12 700hp SUV... sounds good to me or build them both.. bet it would sell great .....