Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO and Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne has made his disdain for electric vehicles pretty clear and the executive recently revealed we shouldn’t expect to see an electric Ferrari anytime soon.
Automotive News reports Marchionne used Ferrari’s annual general meeting to announce an electric vehicle won’t be part of the company’s next five year plan which runs through 2022. The executive went on to say electric vehicles aren’t relevant for the company yet and he has a point as Lamborghini recently suggested they wouldn’t offer an electric vehicle until 2026 at the earliest.
While Marchionne has previously begged people not to buy the Fiat 500e and stated “I’m not even sure you can recover all of your costs – let alone generate a profit – through electrification,” he has shown an openness to an electric Ferrari. Earlier this year, he told reporters “If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari will be the first.”
Automotive News also notes Ferrari’s 2017 annual report cited electric vehicles as a potential risk to profitability. As the report noted, “Pure electric cars may become the prevalent technology for performance sports cars thereby displacing hybrid models.”
It remains to be seen if electric powertrains will become the defacto choice of supercar buyers in the future but, in the meantime, Ferrari is focusing its efforts on hybrid technology. Marchionne stated the company is currently debating which models should receive a hybrid powertrain and he has previously said the first mainstream hybrid model will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next year.
Little is known about that particular model but a 488 GTB prototype was recently spotted on the Fiorano Circuit accelerating without making any noise. This suggests the model may have a new powertrain which enables the car to travel short distances on electricity alone.
