Since Ferrari has gone public, what is a good way forward for the company? My opinion is that Ferrari could enter the mainstream production luxury market. I'm thinking 4 door sedans which would compete directly against the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7'series or Lexus top of the line sedans. Ferrari could make a sedan with greater style and performance than any of these Marques. Cars with greater reliability and durability too! Mercedes engineering and part quality are increasingly showing chinks in the armor! The price point would be considerably less that her high end sports cars, but the volumes would be much higher- as high as 9,000 units. I think this is a better idea than trying to increase the 488 F12 and Cali to double their current sales volumes
I totally disagree, four door sedans are totally at odd with what Ferrari is trying to project from a band point of view. Besides which the GTC4Lusso is designed to be the four seat Ferrari. One should always stick to what one does best, just look what happened when Lamborghini built the LM002....
I don't think this is the way forward for several reasons. Off the top of my head are these. You mention that these 4 door saloons would be less expensive than their sportscar siblings, but at the same time you say that Ferrari could do these large luxury cars better than Merc, BMW and Lexus. I seriously doubt that as it is no easy feat. Mercedes have been building their S class for many years and they know how it is done. It's a great car and not a cheap car if you want a good one. On the scale Ferrari produces cars they would have to increase price simply to make it turn a profit. Also how can a car be cheaper if the same level of engineering goes into them? They will have to use a lot of the same components and base engines etc. And if Ferrari wants to keep their integrity they can't skimp on the interior quality either. Not seeing it happen like that. While Merc have had some reliability issues especially in the 2000's, they are coming back strong. So for Ferrari to compete with them and Lexus in this department, they would have to get up really early to catch up. There's also brand value to consider. If Ferrari decrease production of the sportscars to keep up exclusivity but start to produce luxury saloons, how will that affect the brand? My guess is that the demand on sportscars will go down as the brand itself will lose in prestige and value to many buyers. Ferrari seems to be a lot more sensitive than e.g, Porsche in this regard as these two brands have always been quite different. While the Cayenne, Macan and Panamera haven't hurt Porsche but surely made the brand less exotic, it was never really a brand with the same exclusivity and mystique as Ferrari from the beginning. Part of my point with this is that one can't compare what happened to Porsche after they added those models to their lineup, with what would happen to Ferrari if they did so. Yet another thing is this. Is there a market in the first place? I'm not so sure. Fact is that a 4 door Ferrari would not compete with BMW and Mercedes, but rather Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Porsche, Jaguar and even Maybach. This is an entirely different niche and not a place where Ferrari have any past experience. Porsche is the last brand to make it in this group with the Panamera, as they filled the only gap there sort of was. One can argue about the looks of the Panamera all day, but fact is that it's one of the best cars to drive and ride in, in its class. Should Ferrari add 4 door saloons? Absolutely not. Do I think it's a problem if they increase production of the cars they currently build and perhaps add a Dino? No not at all.
I have no doubt Ferrari is capable of producing the most amazing sedan in the world...V12, sensational style and performance at a price point of about $500K. Imagine the most beautiful Maserati QP...but brought up 5 additional notches.... The thing is.....a sedan is not a "passionate" vehicle by its very nature. It is designed to carry 4 or more people in comfort, each having their own door (not the occasional use in a pinch back seats of a 2+2). It is meant to go shopping, to restaurants with friends, etc. it is meant to sit in traffic on the daily grind. Ferraris are about a ridiculous performance vehicle, usually a personal experience, not needed transportation...for joy and passion. The very car evokes the racing history...a Sunday morning reward for the car enthusiast... A sedan would ruin what Ferrari has always represented. Once you build it...there is no going back...now, despite all the marketing hype otherwise...you are just a "car company." No different than Porsche...which used to be great, unique, exotic..now...grocery getter vehicles competing with Mercedes for customers. Go ahead Ferrari build a sedan, get the soccer moms as customers...the non-car enthusiast wealthy business elite who want a status mark..and kiss all the rest of us goodbye.
I think we will see extremely expensive very limited production special edition Ferrari's and a new Dino before we see a 4 door sedan.
I agree this would be a very good direction the Dino could be a great car and the limited production cars do very well for Ferrari.. I also think another opportunity would be a production mid engine 12 cylinder perhaps a modern day boxer really like that idea
With the existence of the 612/FF/Lusso and the Maserati QP there is no need for 4 door Ferrari. It would be a small niche market.
Hate to pile on, but I join the others. That would probably be a big mistake. In addition to a pedestrian, functional 4-door diluting Ferrari's carefully nurtured racing and performance brand, it would not be so easy to compete in the luxury market against the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus, MB. Those guys are damn good at what they do. Porsche, after years with the Panamera, is just now creating interiors and features that are truly on a par with these others. Why go to all that trouble to achieve parity in order to compete in an already insanely competitive market? Ferrari is not a growth stock. It's a niche in a mature market. It should concentrate on continuing to dominate its niche and investors will need to accept the fact that its fortunes will rise and fall with the economy and consumer confidence. I think this is what is behind the company's leadership positioning it as a luxury brand, they want the market to understand that the company's financial results will have luxury brand dynamics. Gucci does not grow by expanding into bookbags or lunchboxes.
People seem to forget that only 10% of Ferrari was offered on Wall Street. Ferrari already has a Sedan, it's called Maserati for which they supply the engines.
Yes but Sergio wants to propagate the stock value so they can use it as leverage for other projects. In order to do that he will have to prove to Wall St that he is maximizing Ferrari's financial potential I do hope I'm wrong but am afraid rampant portfolio expansion of Ferrari is inevitable - IMO
Followed by a spin off of almost all of the rest. The company is now widely held. Exor holds a disproportionately large amount of the vote due to the shareholder "loyalty" program (as we all know, Ferrari is a company that values loyalty!), but not enough to insulate the company from feeling pressure from unhappy investors.
Maser is counting on their diesel ghibli to help them meet targets in europe, a fiat engine but not a ferrari. Between that, increased production and the supposed inevitably of an SUV, the Marque isn't going to be what it was soon. But FWIW I don't think there's a chance in hell of a ferrari sedan. Ever.
Random expansion has a tendency to burn cash very quickly and unnecessarily. To get a four door would require a tremendous push through the management ranks as well as strong customer demand not just a few suggestions from outside analysts.
No and thankfully it will never happen. They only have to ramp production by approx 1300 cars to get to 9,000 and whilst that is a target they will control their market as carefully as they always have.
Maybe you should try reading their prospectus and you would understand their revenue streams. Everything you've written is basically wrong other than they aim to produce 9,000 cars by 2019. The prospectus also explains how they will manage markets and preserve the value of their cars.
Here's a 4 door FF/Lusso, lol.. Ferrari FF Gets Four Doors in New Rendering Image Unavailable, Please Login
