Ferrari turns to turbos and hybrids
To do this, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' high-performance brand will use turbochargers on V-8 engines and hybrid systems with V-12s, Vittorio Dini, Ferrari's powertrain director, told Automotive News.
Ferrari already has cut CO2 while boosting performance with turbocharging in the California T, unveiled in March at the Geneva auto show.
"In the future, all of our V-8s will use turbos," Dini said, adding that Ferrari's next challenge is to decrease the displacement of its V-8s while adding even more power.
Dini said Ferrari would count on hybrids to cut fuel use and emissions on V-12 engines, which are found in its top-of-the-range F12 Berlinetta and FF models.
Ferrari showed what is possible from this strategy last year with the introduction of its first hybrid model, the limited edition LaFerrari.
The car gets its power from an 800-hp nonturbocharged 6.3-liter V-12 and a 120-kilowatt (163-hp) electric motor.
The LaFerrari's engine has a combined 963 hp, compared with the 660 hp of the Enzo, the model it replaced. The LaFerrari's CO2 emissions, meanwhile, are significantly lower than the Enzo's, 531 grams per mile vs. 877.
Dini said turbos are not a good solution for Ferrari's V-12s because four turbo units would be needed to achieve the required improvements. That would take up too much space and create too much heat in the engine compartment.
Ferrari will continue to limit global sales to 7,000 vehicles annually to protect the exclusivity of the brand and sustain the residual value for existing customers.
Here are Ferrari's plans for the next three years.
California T: The redesigned Ferrari 2+2 convertible is coming to the United States at the end of September, starting at $201,940, including shipping. The California T is the first model to get turbochargers under Ferrari's CO2 reduction strategy.
The last production turbo Ferrari was the F40 launched in 1987.
With about 10,000 vehicles sold worldwide from its launch in 2008 until May 2014, the California T is Ferrari's best-selling car to date, passing the F430 coupe's roughly 9,000 sales. More than 70 percent of California T buyers were new to the brand.
Nicola Boari, Ferrari's product marketing director, said California T owners drive 30 percent more miles than the average of other Ferrari owners.
458 Italia: At the Geneva show in March, Ferrari will unveil the re-engineered two-seat V-8 coupe. The model, to go on sale by next summer, will feature a new body and will switch from the current 4.5-liter, 562-hp V-8 to a twin-turbocharged V-8. Its name could change.
458 Spider: A re-engineered Spider, launched in 2012, will arrive in late 2015 or early 2016. It also will switch to a twin-turbo V-8.
FF: The first all-wheel-drive, four-seat Ferrari, introduced in 2011, could be re-engineered around 2016. Its V-12 engine could add a hybrid system to slash emissions and boost performance.
F12 Berlinetta: The F12 Berlinetta two-seater, with a V-12, could be re-engineered around 2017 and use an evolution of the hybrid system to come on the re-engineered FF.
The LaFerrari’s engine has a combined 963 hp. The U.S. is getting 150 of the cars.
Shipping of the U.S. models began last summer and will end in 2015. Despite a significant price tag, about $1.4 million including destination and gas guzzler taxes, Ferrari had sold out its 499-unit run of the car before its world debut in March 2013 at the Geneva auto show. autonews.com