Ferrari CEO Announced his retirement effective immediately

If Elkann doesn’t go outside the auto industry, watch for an under the radar candidate in Harald Wester. Brilliant engineer, successfully built Maserati into a profitable company before Chrysler personnel came in. Worked at Ferrari, was considered for the position when it went to Felisa. He left only to be lured back by Marchionne to run Maserati. He is currently still with FCA as chief technology officer.

 

From his comments Harald Wester seems to be a big fan of EVs though.

 

Ferrari has always been about making money... Enzo did the cars because he needed money for racing - which was his personal toy... ego enhancer. Even in the 30's when he was running the Alfa garage ... he was buying cheap and selling high .... he was willing to take risks that others did not want to do, and he had access to wealthy playboys - Count Trossi etc... that could fund his ego.... Since he could not race the cars on his own - he got his kicks by manipulating the wealthy ... that is how he kept going... he was a master of manipulation, and he loved the financial reward he got as well as the notoriety on others money.

He sold to FIAT because Angelli kissed his ring - and made him a Millionaire... Enzo worked hard at his image - and it's paid off. Ferrari has never really been about its customers... it has been about keeping the Ferrari name & Image valuable and desired - which fed the ego of FIAT and LDM etc... That is what has changed it's now about squeezing that image for every penny... until there is no more to give....

 

Ferrari will keep selling cars as long as they do:

1. Have to be pretty and exotic looking cars
2. Be fast - provide some thrill that you don't get from ordinary cars ( does not have to be Koneigsegg or Bugatti fast.)
3. Be able to talk about racing - of some kind...
4. Continue to be seen as a symbol of wealth and power. Auctions of older Ferrari's bringing in 7-8 figures will ensure new models keep selling.
5. Continue to be "exclusive" - limited in numbers 10-20K per year or less.

if they keep those top 5 things going, people will still buy them.

 

Exactly! NASCAR is an example, Ford and GM will never leave, unless they both leave. It’s about competing, not necessarily winning. It shows your willing to put it on the line for all the world to see.






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I don't see why the new CEO must be necessary an automotive-industry related person. A good manager is a good manager. A smart businessman is a smart businessman, no matter where he runs the business. All businesses are about making money and Ferrari are on the stock market after all.

 

Looking back is the new looking forward... at least for some of us.

 

He or she doesn't have to be from the auto industry, I agree (Camilleri himself wasn't). But it's important to know the challenges, and not think Ferrari is "just" a luxury brand, particularly because they will have significant input in the Scuderia which has been a mess for a while.

 

I think he likes the technical challenge presented by EVs, but when asked about it he said they will design and build them because that’s what government’s have mandated.

 

We saw what happened to American car companies when the MBAs took over from the product people. It wasn't good.

 

Have a listen to this, he seems quite excited about the potentials of EVs in terms of performane and mentions that emotions can be created by simulated vibrations, noises, etc. ....

 

Sorry forgot to post the link:

Go to 2:12:03

 

Luca would be ready if he gets asked

Former Ferrari CEO Luca Di Montezemolo Open To Return To Replace Camilleri (carandbike.com)

 

Not true.

Ram is killing it and is having major major success.


They have also managed to squeeze exciting product after exciting product out of left overs.

The challenger is pretty impressive.for.a chassis that dates back to 2003. They keep squeezing blood out of a turnip.

The alfa part yes... That was a screw up. But the car is unreliable and always has been. They needed to get the reliability under control.

I have more people.asking about alfas than any other brand but my first question is how far to you live from the dealer.

The american side of fca did very well.

 

Chrysler management absolutely destroyed Maserati. They were operating at a 13+% margin before they launched the Levante which should have been their most profitable model. Chrysler personnel took over Maserati, profit margins quickly plunged to under 3%, as the bottom fell out of sales.

 

Don’t be surprised if a very familiar Italian last name gets the big chair (not LDM).

 

I recently test drove the Roma and was impressed with its driving dynamics and performance. The body lines are very sexy but agree that the interior looks too different from existing Ferrari layouts. The center piece (bulky screen) and start button (haptic activated) on the steering wheel if anything looks out of character.

 

Maserati has never been a strong brand and if anything chrysler pushing the maserati stores into ferrari helped and them allowed them to go stand alone when they had a large enough product line.

The issue is the product isn't great and it's wickedly over priced. The best cars maserati has to sell are their oldest.

The Levante as saddle with a terrible name. And I know people don't think that matters but it absolutely does. It's too small. And a Macon is much better. And an X5 is much bigger as is a GLE. Plus you can't stop range Rover everyone's going to choose a range Rover over a Maserati at the same price. Everyone's going to choose a range Rover over Maserati even at a five grand discount. Maserati was too late to the SUV game with two week of an offering with a bad name and bad marketing

 

I will politely say that “Indy racing is not remotely near the level of F1”. I’ve crewed for various teams and can tell you that among serious car guys/gals in the US Indy racing is a joke. I think Ferrari getting into Indy racing would degrade the brand. I do think Ferrari needs to stay in F1 though but can’t afford to place lower than 2nd so they need to get their act together in F1. One of the main reasons I own a Ferrari is due to the F1 success.

Unfortunately, Ferrari has become a major profit center for its parent company so the new CEO will likely continue to degrade the brand with adding tons of models and lower quality builds (ie. More profit) Ever since about 2015 the cars have dropped significantly in quality.l, which is also when more models started being added.

Stay well everyone!


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Could not agree more. Very well said.

 

I agree with many points but I have not seen the drop off in quality.

The paint shop is still garbage.

But before the 430... Ferraris in general weren't exactly known for their meticulous quality. It was good enough. Their quality has grown leaps and bounds since the 80s 90s and 2000s.

Just my experience.

 

Manley Out - staying on to run the NA operations for FCA/PSA, watch for that familiar name.

 

Up through my 2016 tdf at least, I have found Ferrari quality to be near flawless; and I drive all of them a lot.
Regarding Piero, when he delivered one of my cars to me at the factory he coul Not have been nicer and more engaging.!

 

Just curious. I'm guessing the big difference between the two is aero, yes?

 

Businesses that have an element of 'Art' need to be driven by emotion and passion. Just because someone was able to successfully run a widget maker, doesnt mean they can make the transition to something like Ferrari.