Ferrari 599 GTO

Women in China buy four times as many Ferraris as women in North America, thanks in part to newfound prosperity and a glut of female entrepreneurship.

Of the 220 Ferrari cars sold last year in China, 44 were bought by women. That is four times greater than their Western counterparts. This represents 20% of the total sales, as compared to 5% elsewhere. In an interview with GoAuto, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa stressed the importance of the Asia-Pacific market. “We don’t see big possibilities (to increase sales) in Europe and we don’t see big possibilities in the U.S.,” he said “But for sure we have not exploited the potential we have in Asia-Pacific as well as the Middle East and East Europe.” Felisa pointed out that the customers who buy Ferraris in China are 10 years younger on average than European customers.

He thinks that it’s because many women in China are running businesses and they can certainly afford this type of car. Felisa added that it still came as a surprise for them since they didn’t think that the car would appeal that much to women.

He also believes that it could be a reflection of the business condition in China. Because of the emerging sales in China, Ferrari was shielded from the economic difficulties in the North American and European markets that were actually dropping even before the global crisis.

Felisa also stressed that Ferrari would adapt their production to meet the needs of the Chinese market, but it would not oversupply the market with cars. Ferrari spokesman Antonio Ghini once said that “…we will produce one less car than the market demands”, and this maxim has unquestionably helped Ferrari maintain its mystique and cachet among the uber-wealthy of the world.

Ferrari sought to honor the Chinese market by deciding to launch the 599 GTO at the Beijing Motor Show. Last year, Ferrari was the only sports car maker to continue to grow in the Asia-Pacific. About 500 cars were sold last year in the Asia-Pacific. The biggest market was China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. Over 220 cars were sold via 10 China dealerships, 150 units sold in Hong Kong and 50 cars in Taiwan.

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Source: 4wheelsnews.com and autoguide.com

Ferrari Enzo

Down under in Australia the launch of a brand new Ferrari and Maserati dealership in Sydney, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa has revealed some of the automaker’s future projects, confirming plans for the revival of the legendary GTO badge as well as the replacement for the Enzo supercar.

Putting the recent global financial crisis well behind it, Ferrari will be launching a number of new models in the coming years, starting off with the brand new 458 Italia. Felisa confirmed this model would be followed by a 458 Spider convertible next year but said there were no plans for a track-focused ‘Scuderia’ version just yet.

He went on to disclose that the 599 Hybrid set for next month’s 2010 Geneva International Motor show isn’t destined for production, although the limited edition 599 GTO is. Speaking with GoAuto, Felisa said early hybrid prototypes are already showing improvements in fuel economy of more than 25% but stressed that the technology is just not ready for production and likely won’t be for another five years.

“The suppliers are not ready. Everything is underdeveloped. There is a lot of work to so. It is not for tomorrow. We haven’t decided when [it will be introduced]. It will be around that period [2015], but not before five years,” Felisa explained. In the meantime, Ferrari will launch milder fuel saving technologies, such as cylinder deactivation, engine stop-start and electrically-powered auxiliary systems to take the load off the engine. The first of these systems will appear in the California next year.

As for the new GTO based on the 599, Felisa said the car “is coming” and in the process revive the legendary three letter badge last used on the 288 GTO almost a quarter century ago. Similar in theory to the 430 Scuderia and the 360 Challenge Stradale before that, the new 599 GTO is essentially a lighter and more hardcore version of the regular V-12 powered 599 GTB.

The story doesn’t end there as Felisa also confirmed the news we have all been salivating about for months-a replacement for the Enzo supercar is in development. He said it will be available in left-hand drive only and designed with all the characteristics Ferrari is famous for, which we can safely interpret as being loud, fast and bursting with Italian flair.

What do you think about the future models coming from Ferrari?

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Source: motorauthority.com