Why No Minneapolis Ferrari Dealer?

Does anyone have insight as to why the Twin Cities doesn't have an official Ferrari dealership? Was there ever such a dealership at any point in time? It seems strange to me that Minnesota doesn't have one, maybe more so than any other US city (St. Louis and Pittsburgh have reasonable cases but aren't quite as compelling).

The region is now over 4 million in population, has lots of high end corporate management jobs, lawyers, doctors, medical professionals, airline pilots, and other white collar jobs that would seem to support a dealer. While Minneapolis isn't Miami and St. Paul isn't Silicon Valley as far as a Ferrari market, it is certainly at or above where Salt Lake City, Portland, Columbus, and San Antonio are in that regard-all of which have dealers. I think of Denver as it's closest peer city in a lot of ways, and they have one as well. Finally, it's not like Chicago's just down the road either in terms of convenience. There's not a single dealer between Chicago and Denver, which is a bit strange in and of itself, although I know there used to be one somewhere in the St. Louis suburbs, so there's a catchment area to be served-a theoretical Ferrari of Minneapolis would likely draw from Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, parts of Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, and perhaps even Manitoba. Think MSP, Kansas City, Winnipeg, Omaha, Des Moines, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Rochester, and Duluth as city markets. I guess that's the case for one.

Against the idea is that the Upper Midwest isn't a flashy place where Ferrari might not sell nearly as well per capita. Furthermore, I'd expect that the Chicago dealers derive a nice chunk of business from what would be the markets that a theoretical Ferrari of Minneapolis would serve and don't like the idea. Finally, is Ferrari NA just not interested in opening new dealers period?

 

Because they burned it???

Too soon?

 

MSP did have a dealer in the past (in some portion of the 1990s) - World Ferrari. It was owned by Bob Bodin and Karl Dedolph.

FNA is enamored with the coastlines and far less with the "flyover" portion of the country. FNA is not looking to add dealerships but there are some spots that allegedly are on the "might happen" list in the flyover area. Neither St. Louis or MSP are on the list according to the information I hear.

As for St. Louis, we had a dealership back in the 1970s (the Volvo dealer) but that stopped long ago. Most recently we had an Authorized Service facility that thought they were to get the sales franchise too. Didn't happen and instead ended up in a lawsuit.

 

I like to think we are better off without an official dealer. It forces us to be creative with repairs and know more about our own vehicles.

Imola, Eurotech, Top Gear(if still standing) and Donnybrook in lake country seem to cover our needs quite well.

 

Funny, I was thinking the same thing just the other day. MSP already has a Bentley/Aston/Maserati dealer called Morris’s Luxury Auto they could just add Ferrari onto the brands offered. And might as well add Lambo while you’re at it!

STL has STL Motorcars (Rolls/Bentley/Lambo/Aston/Bugatti) but is likely too close to Chicago to justify another Ferrari location here.

I think the ideal location is Des Moines, possibly Omaha. This sales & service shop could feed KC, MSP, STL, Sioux Falls, Fargo, Des Moines, Omaha and every nook and cranny in between. With the combined populations represented, it would be more than enough to justify a dealer, I’d think. Essentially serving everyone between Chicago and Denver E to W and a Canada to Arkansas N to S......

 

I think that while Des Moines or Omaha might be best location wise, there's a lot to be said for the convenience of a dealership in a major metro making Ferrari ownership more attractive. I think that the MSP market could support a dealer on it's own, and if given that a Ferrari of Minneapolis were to exist, I think a Kansas City dealership (maybe a Ferrari of Denver outpost on the Kansas side of the line?) would make the most sense. St. Louis and Indianapolis are just a tad too close to Chicago to make enough sense, but KC is almost perfectly smack dab in the middle and is probably the more logical answer for a Ferrari of Missouri.

Other than those two there isn't any other hole big enough to justify an official dealer. The coasts seem pretty well covered, unless there's a huge untapped market in Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Jacksonville, or Fort Myers. Between Atlanta and Houston/Dallas, there isn't enough demand and Nashville's a bit too close to Ferrari of Atlanta to make enough sense. I don't think New Orleans and Memphis justify a dealer between Texas and Georgia. Ditto for the Columbus-Atlanta gap.

I threw out Pittsburgh earlier, but it's almost perfectly between Columbus, DC, Philadelphia, and Detroit-although an Algar outpost might make some sense given that Columbus and DC are physically closer than Philadelphia, which has the official rights to the Pittsburgh market. That said, I live in metro Pittsburgh and the city roads often look like they've been freshly bombed by the Luftwaffe, even in wealthy neighborhoods like Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. The suburbs are better though, but a Ferrari of Pittsburgh is more likely another decade of economic growth away.

 

St. Louis was supposed to get the sales to go with the authorized service. That they didn't resulted in the lawsuit by St. Louis Motorcars. Some say that has killed the ability of a dealership here.

Put into the mix on any FNA/SpA consideration that it will have to be an area with high demographics. It will be a plus if it comes with sports teams and celebrities as they are known to be buyers. But, FNA keeps saying that there are no plans for additional dealerships in the US for the foreseeable future; which may or may not be accurate at the highest levels.

 

There has never been a Ferrari dealer in the Twin Cities. "World Ferrari" was a name used for a time. It was not sanctioned by Ferrari. This is a relatively small market for Ferrari. Recent events would tend to further suggest there will not be a dealer here any time soon.

 

As for World Ferrari, I remember Karl Dedolph was all excited when he was telling me of selling their first Testarossa to someone local. I do believe the operation was short lived though.

 

Just heard through the grapevine this status might be changing soon...

 

I hope it is true. Have you found out who the dealer group is that is getting the franchise? Are you getting sales and service from the start or service with sales in the future?

St. Louis is getting a dealership that is to be open in October/November. I have heard of other locations that are allegedly getting franchises.

 

Ferrari is coming to MN ? Any idea what city ?

MDS

 

My understanding is the Pohlad group will be the dealer, locating in GV. I can only presume it will be full service. No more trailer rides to Lake Forest...

Edit: I just thought about doing a search for business name registrations with MN SOS, this pretty much confirms the rumor:
https://mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us/Business/SearchDetails?filingGuid=18698114-b82a-eb11-91a6-00155d32b905

 

Interesting ! Thanks for the information.

MDS

 

"If you build it, they will come!" I'm sure that many potential buyers are hesitant to purchase a car and then have to travel 2 or more hours for maintenance, service, etc.

 

This is true in St. Louis. Keep serious potential buyers on the fence and justifies selling theirs if they already have one. Situation is not helped when we already have a quite successful Lambo dealer in town. This is why we are welcoming our impending Ferrari dealer.

My advice to your Minneapolis group, Minnesota Chapter, start building a relationship with the dealer organization as soon as you can. The new dealer will become a focal point of activities for current and potential owners.

 

One thing that really puzzles me is that there is no Ferrari dealer in Indianapolis. I can understand that New York and L.A. come to mind when Europeans talk about the U.S. What they don't seem to realize is that there's a whole country in between these cities, and many people of means who would gladly consider owning a Ferrari. I think Ferrari would benefit from a revamp of their marketing strategy!

 

Kansas City, St. Louis and Indy have all made attempts at getting a franchise over the years. Others probably too, but these I know about.

Understanding the inner decision process of FNA/SpA is futile. But, in looking at dealer locations recognize that Ferrari intentionally limits their production so they may justify not being in locations since they won't be able to support those sales opportunities and a focus on covering China . That doesn't explain all the extra dealers in Florida and California. SEE above on understanding their logic.

Maybe if Mike Manley becomes the President of SpA there will be someone that understands the business proposition of the flyover territory.

 

Offering seven years of free maintenance is negated when you have to travel more than an hour to take advantage of it!

 

Worse is troubleshooting for a warranty claim that turns out to be a 15 minute item. Forget the 1 hour drive, how about the $1,000 trailering.

 

SPA Società Per Azioni (Italian: shared company)

It was bothering me not knowing what SpA stood for.

 

I

t is a shorthand some of us use to distinguish when we are taking of Ferrari North America (FNA) or it is Ferrari in Italy (SpA).

 

Based on the proposed principal place of business address, it appears they're going to be using the old Porsche Minneapolis building?

Kevin

 

That’s correct, the old Porsche garage in GV. In fact it’s under refit right now.

 

Cool!!! I hadn't noticed that. Wonder if they'll get it opened up this year?

Kevin