Ferrari Won't Build a Self-Driving Car, Thank Goodness
The automotive industry is going through seismic shifts that affect every automaker-including Ferrari. The supercar maker faces a tricky balance: embracing the future without diluting its heritage.
As for some future technology, Ferrari prefers to say "no thanks." In a conversation at the Paris Motor Show published by Car, Ferrari executives said we won't see a self-driving Ferrari anytime soon (if ever), but electrification and downsizing will creep their way into the companies sports cars and grand tourers
Ferrari intends to remain "100-percent a sports car company," said Ferrari's product marketing head Nicola Boari and chief commercial officer Enrico Galliera. The two added that Ferrari has no plans for a four-door or an SUV–unlike some of its competitors–and no plans for an autonomous car "in the foreseeable future."
That said, Ferrari will leverage tech developed in self-driving cars to add convince features like surround-view cameras to its cars.
"When you are driving a Ferrari we want you to concentrate," said Boari.
While autonomy isn't on the table at Ferrari, hybridization will play an increasing role in the automaker's products, and not just in limited-production hypercars like the LaFerrari.
"Electric cars are interesting to us. Not for emissions but for performance. But we wouldn't produce an electric car. Hybrid is right for us," said chief technology officer Michael Leiters. "There's a lot for us to do. Today the weight is still too much. So we have a lot to do, but we are convinced that within a certain time there will be a step forward for Ferrari with an electric car."
Leiters indicated Ferrari could put increasing emphasis on smaller V8- and V6-engines to offset weight from heavy batteries. Hopefully that doesn't spell the end of Ferraris big, magnificent V12s.
Ferrari is a small, well-funded company that can do things that wouldn't fly in mass-market cars, but it still has to develop novel solutions for the future. We've already seen Ferrari apply hybrid technology to stunning effect in the LaFerrari, so we're optimistic for its future.
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