Sergio Marchionne Confirms Ferrari’s Upcoming Hybrid Will Be Able To Run Silently

A few years ago, Sergio Marchionne said the possibility of an electric supercar from Ferrari was “almost an obscene concept.” Ferrari was more than open to the idea of a hybrid, but an EV was out of the question. Fast-forward to today and it sounds like Marchionne is warming up to the idea of having a supercar that can run on electricity.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the CEO confirmed that the brand was testing a supercar that “you could run silently” at the track. He also corroborated the fact that the vehicle wasn’t fully electric, but one that it was testing “very quietly.”

Earlier this month, we saw and heard a Ferrari prototype silently testing at Fiorano. The vehicle looked like it was based on the 488 GTB, but set off without making a sound. In recent months, Ferrari has been more open to the idea of introducing a hybrid powertrain with a V8 engine. The prototype that we saw testing could be the brand’s way of meeting its goal of launching a V8 hybrid in 2019.

Ferrari may have a hybrid to its name in the form of the LaFerrari, but the system in the hypercar works in a way that doesn’t allow the vehicle to run on electricity alone. The electric motor is solely used as a way to boost the V12’s performance. That’s going to change for the V8 Hybrid that’s coming out in the near future, as that car, which the video revealed, will be able to run silently on clean electricity.

While the LaFerrari was all about performance, the automaker’s future hybrid will also be geared towards reducing emissions and increasing fuel economy. With the 488 reaching the final moments of its lifespan, a V8 Hybrid variant of the supercar makes the most sense.