Luca at the Ferrari Chistmas Party said...

Excerpts from Luca di Montezemolo to the press at the occasion of the Christmas party " ....We have beaten all records...we anticipate earnings of 230 million after taxes. We are present in 52 countries and we will sell slighly more then 6000 cars, of which 170-180 in China. We have opened 30 stores throught the world and 200,000people have visited the Ferrari Gallery. Also, more importantly the racing division is self-financed. Next year will be an important year for Fiat as we will see the debut of the small Alfa Romeo (cute), the (beautiful) Lancia Delta and a new Ferrari at the end of the year...."

It is confirmed that a new F will be shown before the end of the year and also a record number of cars was produced in addition to profits.

 

Do you have a link to this article?

 

It was published in the "Gazetta dello Sport" and "Corriere della Sera". These are top italian newspapers.
Luca stated that Alonso was never offered a seat (which FA has confirmed to the spanish press) and that Ferrari's position is to involve their drivers in a long term relationship with the team. He emphasized working for the team F and this is more important than individuality. Luca said that Kimi doesnt complain at all and if he doesn't talk too much it is okay with me just as long as he keeps winning.

 

Fantastic post. This is what I love about fchat - info from all over the world

 

It is great that Ferrari has record profits. All of us here are doing our best to help them.

 

LOL

it's exactly what i was thinking

 

Luca di Montezemolo deserves the credit of turning around first Ferrari and now Fiat.....next could be Italy, but that is a job I would not wish to anyone !

 

I cannot think of a more recognisable and valued brand name in the world.
Keep up the good work.

 

Nothing like an American educated lawyer to straighten out a once faltering company...good work Luca...

 

It's funny. Everyone, including me, praises Luca for bringing Ferrari out of the ashes. (The 70s and 80s were very bad times for any manufacturer in Italy.) Then, with the next breath, everyone gripes that Ferrari is making too many non-cutting edge cars (that actually work) and cheapening the brand.

Witness the debate over the 599, which is probably one of the best supercars ever made. Not only is it one of the fastest, best handling, and fantastic brakes supercar ever made, if you want to, you can use it to drive your grandmother to church. Even more amazing, everything works!

The problem was that, instead of the 599, many fans wanted Ferrari to build another F40. Granted the F40 is probably one of the sexiest supercars ever made, but it was also one of the worst built supercars ever made. As delivered, it was basically a kit car that needed a fair amount of TLC before it was safe to drive. (Boy, am I gonna get flamed for this one. But the truth hurts.)

Trust me on this, if someone like Luca had not come along, Ferrari would not exist today. So while you may think that Ferrari is building boring cars, Luca must be doing something right!

Dale

 

I agree with you 100%, however I would like to see some fresh new lines / ideas in the looks department.
While I love the looks of the 612 and 599, I find the looks of the 360 and 430 at a dead end.
I think that Ferrari has been in the same bed with Pininfarina for too long and ought to try some different avenues for the next generation of cars.

 

We will see a new F model at the end of next year (with fresh lines?).
While all the new cars of the various manufactures to be introduced next year are well known with details already revealed, the F model is still secret...at least for now. I believe we see F's new car at the Bologna Motor show at the end of the year (it is only a guess).

 

MORE THAN 6000 CARS per year!!!!!!!!!! To me this means the end of ferrari as a "special" car manufacturer. Enzo stated that 2500 cars would be the maximum production when he was quoted in the early eighties. Best buy a classic ferrari now while there still affordable.
360's and 430's and what other cars are coming down the pipe line will be just fast cars (porsche). Cut production in half and double the price.
my 2 cents

 

While I understand your sentiment, I believe you are forgetting something. First and foremost is that the market for these cars is so much larger than it was back in Enzo's day, and it is going to get larger. For example, would anyone like to guess how many more millionaire car guys there are in the US today than in 1980? Yeah, the dot.com boom became dot.com bust, but there still are plenty of guys who sold before the bubble popped. Now, let's add Russia, China, Dubai, India and on and on and on to the mix. Frankly, 6,000 cars is not even a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, there are certain economies of scale when it comes to manufacturing cars now-a-days. You and I may not care for all the electronics in today's car, but they are a reality that is not going away. If you only build 2,500 cars a year, you are going to have a tough time attracting the attention of the various vendors. Again, you and I may love these cars, but these guys are in it to make a buck. In fact, I'm surprised that Ferrari, at 6,000 cars a year, does as well as it does.

Yes, the Luca V12 Ferraris depreciate. (Please don't ask how I know this.) And yes, the Enzo V12 Ferraris appreciate. (Feel free to ask me how I know this to be true.) But having access to a 550 and a 330 GTC (one never really owns these cars), I have to admit that, while driving the old banger is a lot of fun, romping around the highways and byways in an air conditioned torque slut of a car is almost more fun than the law allows.

Dale

 

Do you realize that Porsche builds about 100,000 cars per year??!

And you're saying that Ferraris will become "just fast cars (porsche)" because of an annual production of 6,000 cars?!

Oh well...

 

Well, now that they're into the "big numbers" with the "civilized" sports cars (e.g. 599), we can hope that the "new" Ferrari will be a bit smaller and less civilized.

(Or not, if I want the value of my 328 to keep going up. )

But a little car that's light enough to run off a V6 might be good for the company's "fleet average" numbers -- and might be the way to get Ferrari back into sportscar racing.

Fenders on the track -- what a concept!

(Mind you, I'm not talking about a "cheap" Ferrari: you don't put a "less civilized" sportscar into the hands of SUV owners. Maybe a limited production thing like the original 246 --- especially if it's as pretty.)

 

New Ferrari at the end of 2008, well I am guessing this is a special edition of something already in production as the "small" Ferrari idea has been discounted many times.....

 

Well, the 599 is quite a departure from a lot of vehicles. The looks of it are different than just about every single car I've ever seen. It's has a demanding stance about it that says "I will tear you apart, effortlessly". The 360 was a new look when it came out and I thought it was pretty nice. The 430 IMO looks like a 360 front with an Enzo rear. They kinda lost it with that one. I really expected something more, but it is what it is. So, in regards to your post, the only "not fresh" look would be coming from the 430. I feel everything else looks "fresh", or different than the other cars Ferrari makes.

Good point. How many people were on this planet in the 80's? How many today? Plus the wealthy are increasing in numbers way faster than population is increasing. With that in mind, 6,000 cars a year is still pretty exclusive. Maybe not quite as exclusive as it used to be, it's still pretty exclusive.

One word:

"Maintenance"

 

+100 !!!

Cut production in half...increase the price 80%, and cut production costs and they still make the same money.

Plus, Luca promised back in the 90s ferrari would not exceed 5,000 cars. 6,000 cars is way to much....thats why we see 30K 308s that run on 2 cylinders. its not where the brand should be going. Someoen mentioned Porche makes 100,000 cars and ferrari is still exclusive....i see Pcars in the snow now....just another car in my book. If ferrari goes this route...in 20 years it will be just another car.....remember 20 yrs ago about Benz (it meant something to have a benz before)...now its, just another Ponitac Vibe in my book...at that SL63 they ask 150K for, junk ! Ferrari should stop while there ahead.

 

An Elise + size 2500 pound Ferrari with a 350hp v6 or TT flat four(mini-Boxer) delievering 30mpg would make a great Ferrari for the new world that even the Gore rich would buy... and what a great track car it would make...

 

well, if there is a big demand for these new cars why are they all on ebay for sale? You can buy a 360 in the colour and opinons of your choice. Seven 599's for sale, waiting list??????????????

 

In my humble opinion with the economics of today's world, Ferrari has no choice but to expand production. Face it they are in a market driven world economy and will continue to increase production as long as demand dictates it. Only a couple of hundred car's were sold in China; get ready you will see big numbers increase over the next couple of years and right behind is India that will be the next growth area. I agree that it would be nice to limit production to this 'exclusive' club, but 6K or 10K cars is a couple of hours of production for GM or Ford. I also agree that the real 'value seekers' will purchase the older models that might not have the comforts of today's vehicle, but were some of Enzo's last 'hand made' models. The new versions, 360, 430, 550, 575, 599 are more representative of today, power and comfort, and by Ferrari standards are the mass-produced models of the company.

 

While all of understand the demands of a growing global economy yada yada yada ... I have to agree with those who expressed concerns about a 6000+ annual production run.

Ferrari is an exclusive brand that I feel has been somewhat diluted the past few years by becoming too mainstream and commercialized. Exclusivity was part of the allure and the mystique. Now it seems like Ferrari stores are sprouting up in all the major cities (not that I mind) and a Ferrari label can be found on everything from binoculars to teddy bears.

All this aside ... LDM has done a great job with the brand and as much as I would love for the brand to remain mysterious and (really) exclusive I fear that global demand may dictate otherwise.

 

Sad...but true....i think you are right.

What they shoudl do is cut the US and other Euro markets then....the used car market would be better, even for them. 360s and 430s sitting on ebay and not being sold means they dont get driven or maintained unfortunatley. How many of these cars do we sitting on independant lots for a year or 2 or 3,you know its not getting an oil change.

 

You missed your business and economics classes.