Hey if they make a street version close to the 1000 KG 0-62mph in 2.9s VMAX 220 MPH of the Puppy they just showed in Paris I will be buying a new Lambo. If they make the Macca less barf looking I will buy one of those as well. If the 918 drives like I hope it will could also buy one of those too. Times are changing. Hope UR all Well!
I understand what you say about Ferrari US... can't comment as I don't live there. But I don't agree regarding the production line to be honest. Unless I am missing something they produce the 458 and the California on the same line and they are totally interchangeable depending on demand. At least this is what I understood when i went there. Regarding the numbers you mentioned I guess we have different sources that don't agree ;-) Luckily for Ferrari in Italy (unfortunately for the workers) there is a law that let's you put workers on temporary leave when you don't need them....gives them a bit of flexibility although I agree that in general it's almost impossible to lay people off. Kind of agree with your last comments about how great the new Lambo, a revised Macca and the 918 could be....but there are a lot of IF involved. Anyway always interesting to hear everybody's different ideas and approach to cars and the various brands.
Read their financial reports and Luca's public statements regarding expanding productive capacity. There is no question what so ever that they took it from 5K (One shift) to 10K (One shift) and their sales are no where near 10K. As an aside YOY their numbers in the US are only up 7.5% including their new model (Calif.) We'll get new numbers in a day or so. The Calif was hoped to double sales. Don't see that happening anytime soon. The 599 GTO and Aperta will help use up unused 599 platforms and the 458 will do fine but the Calif. isn't a home run sales wise. This is the reason that marketing that pisses off customers and there's no question that this email did isn't in their best interest. The last clown who was head of FNA is gone and the new guy is a lot smarter and I'm sure he's reading this thread and thinking about all of this which is why FCHAT has become the force it is.
Aren't we talking about two distinct markets here? The volume (!!) market for Calis etc. and a more limited one for Enzos and their ilk? How much effect does the dissatisfaction in the "upper house" effect sales of the more pedestrian cars? Will a first time buyer (and sales expansion is relying on them) really care how the Aperta is marketed?
"Ferrari's US marketing/distribution/pricing has had serious issues over many years." Though treated very well by my dealer before it changed hands, I always felt that Ferrari relies too heavily on the dealers for marketing, PR, customer relationships and the like. Also had the sense the FNA has no idea who its customers are, and relies on the dealer for its relationship with the merely affluent rank and file. The dealers were very uneven - little things were crazy - my dealer, for example, had a very incomplete set of interior and exterior samples, dating back I believe to the 90s. Given the profit in options and upgrades, it never made sense. But maybe it does, if the goal is to get people to go to the factory to spec their cars. Upselling in an atelier is a lot more likely to succeed than doing so in a showroom. Over time, I concluded that Ferrari had calculated that additional relationship investment simply wasn't worth it - and some of this thread is a debate over whether they're right. The most affluent can purchase access and status at a very high price. For the rank and file, buyers of one or three or seven new production 8 cylinder and 12 cylinder cars, let the dealers/doormen hand out the right to be in line for more of the same. "People want what they can't have" is a great strategy, given human nature, but as Napolis points out it's not immune to decreased demand .... All those wonderful boom years simply made a lot of people lazy, and forgetful. It can be difficult to predict demand minus one.
epic fail I hope that enzo replacement will be have better battery http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5423/c2147483648290920101744.jpg
Could the demand not be there for the California due to its price? Customers could easily pick up a 430 Scuderia with 2800 miles on it for the same (if not less) $$. I am thinking about the introduction of the Bentley Continental GT and how it was priced well below other Bentley models, even used models.
An excellent observation. The first-time Ferrari buyer dealer experience, as has been mentioned, can be hit or miss. But even if a first-time buyer has a good dealer expereince--- from placing their order to taking delivery, word gets around. Comparisons are made. A lot of head-scratching--- "Ferrari did what? Etc." You will eventualy hear or feel, often without seeking it, how Ferrari treats their customer base. The net effect is corrosive. Needlessly. It will inevitably lead to lower sales across all customer and model strata, unless improvements are implemented. And as I mentioned previously, I believe this is especially true with the next generation of 24/7, always connected, always online, supercar buyers. Mike
True, but with the Cali they're going after a new sort of customer. The fellow, or gal, who just knows the name Ferrari and expects to buy one the same way they've bought Mercedes or BMWs. Changing the product to suit this new customer is only half the battle. What adds to the mystique for the traditional buyers is going to drive these folk away.
Very true. But it's 20% overpriced and the rear of the car is not attractive. The rest of the equation they got right though.
In the next decade, the flood of competitors in that market will force Ferrari to rethink how its going to do business. Bugatti, Lotus, Mclaren, Lamborghini, AMG, and others are all coming into a market that Ferrari has enjoyed success with little competition in for the past few decades. While some might say nothing compares to a Ferrari, tell that to the new generation of exotic buyers out there that value customer service and wont take the abuse from dealers... In addition, the new buyers out there will have a lot of choices when it comes to exotic cars. Given the only viable design in the Ferrari line up is probably the 458, Ferrari will be facing stiff competitors with better styling, better customer service, and better accessibility. Ferrari california, 599, and the 612 are all pretty lame designs that are not competitive in their respective niche. Similar to a market correction, Ferrari's time will come when they realize that the attitude has got to go in order to compete for even more discerning customers in the increasingly crowded market place.
This part for entertaining reading, the 599 still remains according to many reputable sources the worlds best GT car, so please do expand on what is not competitive about the car? Apart from the above I mostly agree with what you say. I am also unsure what a lame design is, care to expand on this point?
We had the same feeling,my father and I, that Ferrari marketing isn't what it used to be (or what it should be). We currently own a 430 scuderia, and at the Paris 2010 motor show we have been allowed on the stand after 15 minutes of searching in their computers, being very un-friendly until they saw that we did own a Ferrari. When the lady asked us if we where planning on buying a Ferrari, we said "yes probably an F40 in the next year or so". The lady replied that she couldn't find any F40 in their current catalogue. YAY
I was at the Monterey 2010 events as a reporter. But perhaps as a reflection of how low reporters are regarded by Ferrari (like something that sticks on your shoe) or how low this reporter is regarded,I only heard a vague line lke "Ferrari's having a preview at Monterey this weekend" and that was that,no clues as to where (though I suspect near Pebble Beach) . So I am wondering --were only owners of special low production Ferraris invited, such as owners of Enzos, 375SA, etc. --did the list of the anoited ones originate in Italy or were potential customers nominated by dealers in the U.S.? Lastly, and this is only of academic interest, does anyone reading FC.com think that these special models ppearing is what finally causes some owners of pre-'74 "classics" like the Lusso, swb, Daytona, etc. put their cars up for sales so they can get the new special limited edition or are owners of the old classics not the same as buyers for the newest of the new?
I know it's like wanting to know details of a party you weren't invited to but , just to see how Ferrari approaches exclusive previews of late, regarding the Aperta "secret preview" at Monterey, I'd like to know -where was it? -what night was it? -were invitations issued? Were they sent by mail? -was it possible for someone to give their invitation to someone else or were i.d.'s even checked against the name on the invitation? I went to a West Coast preview of the California a year or so earlier, at Santa Monica airport, tagging along with the registered ower of a 355 who had probably been invited because he was in the Beverly Hills' dealer data base. In that deal, it was an evening preview in a tent, where they checked if you had an invitation before you could gain entry. Michael Mann, the movie director (Miami Vice) had made a special little 10 minute movie of the California going down a country road (actually two of them racing at one point) and the car was unveiled much like a clothing model showing a new line of clothes, the car rolling down an elevated pathway. Afterwards there was a free food/free drinks cocktail party with at least 3 of the cars on display. The crowd was well dressed, numbering about 250. I have a feeling the Aperta preview was much more exclusive--the California being a mass-produced car by comparison.
In one report on the Aperta, I read the canvas top , when fitted, requires that you not drive more than 70 mph while the roof is in place. While I know that skilled drivers can handle speeds of higher than 70 mph in the rain, I wonder if that's a little disappointing when you are in a 200 mph car. I know that the really skimpy spyder tops originated when racing organizations required that race cars in certain classes have windshields and tops and so skimpy tops were devised that just met the rules but were not often used, but I would think that when making a 200-mph car, with the top up, one should at least be able to do 125...
The top looks supported by sidebars so I can't see any reason to keep it below 70 mph. Does anyone know what other colors it comes in? I saw yellow in one picture so that at least proves it will be available in other than red. And I can't find mention of the official price vs. the price with dealer add on
