Gregson Mathe
Remember that Top Gear episode where James May drove the La Ferrari around the Fiorano test track? Of course you do, because it’s awesome. In that piece, he talked about how Ferrari wasn’t interested in making a certain type of car. Here’s the clip to jog your memory.
Now it seems that they are contradicting themselves. According to a report from Autocar, Ferrari is planning a hybrid that can run on electrons just like the P1 or other plug in hybrids.
The plans are detailed in a patent application that has been uncovered by Autocar and was filed last June.
There’s no direct clue as to the identity of the new model, aside from it being front engined, which puts the replacement for today’s F12 Berlinetta (most likely by the end of the decade) in the frame. However, the nature of Ferrari’s new hybrid layout – with slimline batteries built into the floor structure and an electric motor attached the rear-mounted transmission – makes it suitable for future models with both front and mid-mounted engines.
This means the hybrid system is also likely to be used on a version of the new entry-level Dino model, which is expected to be a more ‘affordable’ mid-engined car, powered primarily by a V6 turbocharged engine.
This is very intriguing especially as Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne famously said recently about if Ferrari would ever make an SUV, “You have to shoot me first.” So first they say they’re not interested in electric cars and now they’re making one. Could a Ferrari SUV not be out of the question in the near future too?
What you do you think?
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