FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Ferrari SUV and Dino firm

Ferrari says it is well advanced with plans to develop two all-new model lines – an SUV unlike any other and a born-again Dino entry model – but stresses neither vehicle has been signed off yet.

Speaking at the Frankfurt motor show overnight, senior company executives were forced to clarify comments made by their chairman last month, when Sergio Marchionne admitted publicly for the first time that a Ferrari SUV “will probably happen”.

“That space is too big and too inviting and we have a lot of our customers who will be more than willing to drive a Ferrari-branded vehicle that has that kind of utilitarian objective,” he said at the time.

Ferrari’s senior vice-president of commercial and marketing Enrico Galliera echoed Marchionne’s sentiment that any SUV from Italy’s famous prancing horse brand would be radically different and would only “happen in Ferrari style”.

“There’s hopefully a simple answer to this question, which is connected to some rumours or words that arrived in the market [about] whether Ferrari was going to introduce an SUV,” he said when questioned about Marchionne’s comments.

“I think there has been a misunderstanding on this subject. The message or the disclosing of the part of the strategy that our chairman did clearly explained that we are investigating a new concept currently non existing in the market, so it means it’s not an SUV.

“So Ferrari’s not going to develop something that’s already existing in the market. Ferrari is looking to develop a new concept that is going in the direction of an even more versatile car to be used in different conditions, but without losing one of the key characteristics of Ferrari, which is the sportiness.

“The car we are developing, which will bring new customers and new clientele, will be only following a clear objective which is to develop a sports car. So it’s true, we are doing many different things. It’s true, we are having many different ideas.”

Galliera stressed the Ferrari crossover is yet to be given the green light.

“We are still yet to validate it, but we have some very nice idea. It’s not going to be something currently existing in the market … But it’s not yet approved. It’s a project that’s not yet signed off.”

Rather than being a direct rival for large luxury SUVs like the Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga -- or even the upcoming Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Lamborghini Urus – the Ferrari crossover could end up being a high-riding, all-wheel drive crossover wagon heavily based on the GTC4 Lusso AWD.

Ferrari expects to make around 8400 cars this year and the addition of an SUV could more than double that number, to a figure well beyond Marchionne’s previously self-imposed limit of 10,000 cars per year.

The Italian supercar brand’s first SUV is believed to be a key part of Ferrari’s plan to double its profits by 2022.

New Dino to follow
Ferrari has the capacity to double its production at Maranello, and another way it appears likely to boost volume and profit is a reincarnated Dino model range.

Marchionne has previously said a resurrected Dino sub-brand is “not a matter of if, but when”, but most recently said Ferrari was concerned it could reduce the exclusivity of the brand.

But he also said the revival of Ferrari’s famous 1960-1970s model name would not spell lower prices, leading some to question how any reborn Dino model family could deliver more performance than Porsche’s top-selling 911 without treading on the 488 GTB’s toes.

The current 911 line-up ranges between $220,000 and $480,000 (not counting the $645K, GT2 RS), while Ferrari pricing opens at $410,000 for the California T, which will be replaced by the almost completely reworked Portofino – pricing for which is yet to be announced before it arrives in Australia in the second half of 2018.

Yesterday Ferrari’s head of product marketing Nicola Boari echoed Marchionne’s view that the Italian supercar-maker needs to attract new customers to its brand with a driver-focussed alternative to the California without reducing its entry price.

“There has been debate about the Dino concept as a very fun to drive car – not necessarily extremely powerful -- that can focus on emotion with very fast response times and that can also open up the Ferrari brand to a new breed of clients who are not looking for maximum power or performance but who want something that focusses on driving enjoyment,” he said.

“That’s something that we believe is natural for Ferrari and something we’ve been studying. But not -- and I repeat not -- as a means to reduce the entry price and lose exclusivity.”

Boari indicated the modern Dino may be smaller and more performance-focussed – but no cheaper -- than the Portofino roadster, but less advanced than the $570K 488 coupe.

“We know already today with the current product range that there are a lot of [new] clients we could reach with the current price point. We know because we see them.

“What happened with California and now Portofino is that these clients were there but they were not willing to look past the F430 at the time. So it’s more a matter of concept than price positioning.

“Historically, whenever we create something new, even if this required increasing technology, the market always follows. It’s a golden rule we would like to keep – as long as there is content it will succeed.

“This is a concept we are studying but nothing is approved,” he emphasised, adding there was no timeframe yet locked in for Dino development or production.

Like the original, Ferrari's born-again Dino was expected to come with a V6, but chief technology officer Michael Leiters ruled out a six-cylinder engine – as Marchionne originally indicated for the Dino – any time soon for Ferrari.

Therefore it’s almost certain the new Dino will be powered by a version of the 3.9-litre V8 seen in the Portofino, 488 and GTC4 Lusso T, rather than the twin-turbo V6 from the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV or the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte.

For reference, the freshly revealed Portofino (pictured) produces 441kW/760Nm and hits 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and 200km/h in 10.8 seconds on its way to a 320km/h top speed.

“Ferrari right now is a V8 [and V12] company,” he said. “The performance we see on the new Portofino is 600hp with a specific output of 156hp per litre, which is quite demanding already.

“We always have to consider that we don’t want to have turbo lag so I guess for now the V8 engine is the best fitting engine for us. As you know we also won two times in a row engine of the year and this is confirmation that this concept for Ferrari cars is the best concept.”

Confirmation of the 21st Century Dino – and Ferrari’s first SUV -- is due in the first quarter of next year, when Marchionne announces his latest five-year plan for Ferrari.

Before then, expect the prancing horse to reveal a new special-edition to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year.