Ferrari could be forced to put hybrid on market by 2015

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Ferrari could put a hybrid car on the market by 2015, according to the automaker’s CEO and General Manager Amedeo Felisa. In an interview with Autocar, Felisa says that either European Union or Italian environmental regulations could force the company to put a hybrid up for sale.

Speaking to Autocar at the last Beijing Motor Show, Felisa had some rather interesting remarks on the future of his company, notably regarding the powerplants needed to meet future emissions and fuel mileage requirements. Says Felisa: “Our customers are looking for the essence of Ferrari-the emotion, the performance, the technology and so on. The way in which we fix emissions is not their problem but ours. If we are not able to fix it, only then will it become a problem for them.”

That’s rational, we’d say. But here’s the point where Felisa’s comment’s seem sure to raise some eyebrows amongst the environmental crowd: “[Hybrid will come in] 2015, if we are forced to by the [government] regulations. The issue of emissions for Ferrari is more a political one than real one. Lowering emissions of every Ferrari will not save the planet, but it will cost us a lot of money…In the next five to 10 years, hybrid technology will develop and maybe something else will come up. Maybe it’ll be hydrogen, but for our cars only hybrid is ready.”

According to Autocar’s quote from Felisa, “Hybrid means we can protect the V12,” suggesting Ferrari believes its unassisted 12-cylinder will live on. Autocar’s theory is that the next Enzo could see its V12 paired with an electric motor to keep the government watchdogs happy. Of course, this contradicts Autocar’s Ferrari piece from about ten days ago when, after speaking with Felisa, it wrote, “Felisa also hinted that the new Ferrari Enzo will be powered by a direct-injected twin-turbo V8 when it is launched in 2012.”

From this perspective you could say that hybrid drivetrains are doing something unimaginable, they are saving the possibility of having a massive V12 engine in the supercar of your dreams.

Felisa said that the only reason behind the company developing hybrids is not to compete with Porsche’s KERS or any other mainstream application but simply to find a loophole in fuel economy that would save their way of thinking up Ferraris of the future.

Currently, Ferrari is only exploring hybrid powertrains to reduce emissions within the next ten years. The company has not ruled out the eventual use of hydrogen.

What do you think about a hybrid Enzo?

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Source: autoblog.com, automotorblog.com and worldcarfans.com

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