488 Replacement

Part of my response was a joke about his lack of clarity.

I was reading an article about future electric vehicle tech, and the essential point was, sometime in the not-to-distant future, almost everything will be AWD, even motorcycles. There will be a computer controlled electric motor for each wheel - maybe even in the hubs - and the suspension will be completely dynamic, with servo control of toe in, camber, and everything. With all that and torque vectoring, the performance will be astonishing to those of my generation.

We'll get there a step at a time.

 

this testing system is dedicated for AWD cars?

 

The point is that since there was a nearly 1000 CV Ferrari 5 years ago (with the electronics and tyre technology of that time), there is no need for AWD in the upcoming 700-800 CV Ferraris. You sidestep all the disadvantages of AWD that way.

 

Eventually AWD will be an advantage. When that happens, Ferrari will do it. It's as simple as that.

 

That is just conjecture.

 

No it isn't. Try to see past current technology. Pardon me if I quote myself:

"I was reading an article about future electric vehicle tech, and the essential point was, sometime in the not-to-distant future, almost everything will be AWD, even motorcycles. There will be a computer controlled electric motor for each wheel - maybe even in the hubs - and the suspension will be completely dynamic, with servo control of toe in, camber, and everything. With all that and torque vectoring, the performance will be astonishing to those of my generation.

We'll get there a step at a time."

This will happen unless the world ends first.

 

But that article a) refers to electric vehicles and b) is just the author's opinion.

 

Doesn't electricity change the AWD equation? We already know that AWD has certain advantages but certain disadvantages. The disadvantages are:

-extra traction changes the feel of the car
-extra weight
-driveline losses
-fuel consumption

With a hybrid solution in a modern supercar, the software is now so sophisticated that the extra traction can be delivered in a way that gives a much better feeling, the extra weight can be located anywhere in the car (doesn't need to be at the front), there are no driveline losses because the electric motors are not using the engine, transmission and driveline, and fuel consumption is no issue either.

If this is all correct, AWD is only an advantage and will undoubtedly arrive on the hybrid cars. The only reason to leave it out is because you want a technically worse car. Sometimes this is exactly what is wanted - TDF for example is considered much harder to drive quickly than an 812, but the TDF is king for precisely that reason. This logic will not apply to the 488 replacement IMV.

 

On the other hand with a hybrid powertrain, you could get better traction on the driving wheels because the power is delivered in a more convenient way (the issue with an ICE engine is that you need the engine to run at more speed to get power, so initially - even with a short gearbox ratio - it's difficult to get power without spinning the wheels).
So while AWD still has traction advantages, with hybrid / electric the need is lower.

 

The progression is plain as day. ICE to hybrid to electric. It's not opinion. At some point AWD will be definitively advantageous. That's a fact.

My opinion is that AWD will become indispensable during the hybrid era.

Have you ever seen the 4 RM front drive system in the FF and Lusso? It's so small and light, you could pick it up from the floor and set it on a workbench by yourself. How much horsepower to make up for something that weighs so little you could pick it up and carry it across the room with ease? Not much is the correct answer. All it would take is a torque tube to use the same kind of unit in a rear-mid engine car. This isn't wild eyed speculation. It is possible today because it is already here today!

 

Sure. But since then, Ferrari has changed two or three CEOs and many other things. And new technologies, new laws etc..

 

No one knows what the future holds.

Regarding your second statement, let 's agree to disagree.

Regarding the 4RM system, there is a reason that the much more powerful 812 doesn't employ it.

 

And it has nothing to do with whether it's possible or not, because it is possible, just not advantageous... yet.

 

It was technically more than feasible, but it wasn't deemed worthy enough for the firm's flagship. That is my whole point!

 

We finally agree! YAY!!!

 

It may be a logical step to use the electricity to fill in the gap of power between shifts like the LaFerrari and perhaps bursts of power to the front wheels similar to the FF however electrically driven. Dunno...

 

If you go to the website you can see the slides. Somewhere in there they show the slides.

http://corporate.ferrari.com/en/investors/events-and-presentations/capital-markets-day

 

I already looked thru them. I didn't see anything that confirmed a V12 as the "higher power mid engine car".

The closest page that could lead someone to think there might be a v12 mid-engine car is this one (below). But this slide does not say that a v12 will go into a mid-engine....the items on the left do not all fit into both mid and front engine architectures. Think about it, do you think they will have a 2+2 mid-engine? A four seat mid-engine? No...the slide does not imply that everything on the left will show up in each architecture on the right. Said differently, every possible permutation of this page will not become a production car!

Also, from the ferrari leadership's commentary also quoted by the press, nobody said there would be a v12 in the mid-engine car.

Its purely conjecture by some that their might be a v12 mid-engine car. Of course people can do that at any time, but a v12 mid-engine has not been confirmed that I can find. If you have seen that someplace, please share it. I sure hope there is a mid-engine v12.

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You could be correct but I remember reading somewhere that their new architecture supports a mid mounted V12. Just because it supports it, doesn't mean they have to build it.

 

But can you buy it new for list price ...?? So it’s not a factor IMO

 

Yes, this is true

 

That hasn 't got anything to do with my point mate. The point is that a nearly 1000 HP RWD Ferrari was released years ago. Surely, a new 800 HP Ferrari won't need to be AWD for traction purposes.

 

Your argument makes no sense. The technology has moved on so much in since laferrari days. The miniaturisation, torque vectoring possibilities available today make it entirely possible that they go 4wd for regular cars. Ferrari is often not an early adopter e.g. electric steering.

 

Time will tell, but I am willing to bet on the 488 replacement being RWD.

 

Thanks, I'll that to the list of your other predictions on the SUV and the V6: