Europe wants to put an end to the most polluting cars. Ferrari doesn’t care because it aims (increasingly) at the United States

Anyone who follows Formula 1 this year will agree that the third and fourth places of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, respectively, in the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix were not a bad result for the Scuderia.

Surely, the typhosi, who only believe first place is acceptable for one of their red cars, are not so comfortable with the previous statement. But Ferrari can be satisfied with the last Grand Prix held in America. Because last Friday, taking advantage of Formula 1 passing through the United States, the company presented its latest great supercar.

He Ferrari 12Cilindri It is a declaration of intent from its name. Honoring the history of the brand and for the most purist and enthusiastic fans, the company has created what many would consider a pure Ferrari, a Ferrari “as it should be.”

The successor to the Ferrari 812 Superfast is a two-seater that is inspired by the 50s and 60s and that, above all, refers to the legendary Ferrari Daytona 365GTB/4, with a clear reinterpretation of its headlights, a sharp and very long nose and a molding black woman who spins with that model.

But its link with the history of the company is not left behind. In a market where the downsizing is a trend, where there is a tendency towards more powerful but much smaller engines and to electrify the engines to reduce emissions, Ferrari puts an engine on the table Naturally aspirated V12, 6.5 liters, 830 HP and that reaches 9,500 rpm. A gem of which there are fewer and fewer left.

He sells it because he can

In recent years we have seen how emissions restrictions have caused manufacturers to choose to reduce the size of their engines and hybridize even their most powerful and luxurious options, as has happened with the Lamborghini Revuelto.

In Europe, these types of cars are being harshly punished, with large fines if the maximum permitted emissions limits are exceeded and a regulation that aims to ban combustion engines that are not carbon neutral in 2035 and a long-awaited reduction of the 55% CO2 emissions in 2030.

Between 2025 and 2029 a new emissions limit will arrive. Right now, manufacturers pay the fines if the average emissions of their cars exceed 95 gr/km of CO2. In the second half of the decade, the limit will be lowered to 93.6 gr/km of CO2 and between 2030 and 2034 the new limit should be 49.5 gr/km of CO2, a figure that is impossible to achieve without a plug-in hybrid car.

To the above we must add the regulations of each country. France, for example, already has a specific CO2 tax that has raised the Toyota Yaris GR to 100,000 euros. Regulations and plans that corner combustion engines like the one presented by Ferrari.

To solve European fines, manufacturers pay brands like Tesla, which only produces electric cars, to join together as a single group and, therefore, avoid fines, saving themselves a lot of money. In other cases, the brands enter into large automobile groups whose fleet of electric vehicles compensate for excesses with these luxury supercars. And in a final case, those firms that do not exceed 1,000 units placed on the street are not accountable to anyone.

But Ferrari has chosen the opposite path, to offer one of those supercars that occupy a special place in its offer, of which they are remembered over the years. And that the company has chosen to present it during the days in which the Miami Grand Prix is ​​being held is no coincidence.

Those from Maranello have made America one of their main markets. If we look at 2023, Europe, the Middle East and Africa represent the market where Ferrari sold the most cars in 2023, placing 6,063 units. America follows, with 3,811 vehicles sold.

He growth that the company is having in the United States is significant. While in its first market it only grew by 2%, in America it increased its growth by 11%, compared to 2022. The trend is not new. In 2022, Ferrari sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa grew by 8% compared to 2021. America rose to 22% growth. And that year, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan grew by 73%, although they have then fallen slightly in 2023.

There, efforts to electrify the fleet are also gaining strength but the decisions are not being as impetuous as in Europe. Maintaining the essence of the historic Ferrari is essential for the company, now that it has even launched its own SUV on the market (with enormous success) and is beginning to pave the way towards an electric car with Il Cavallino on the front.

But, as stated in Bloomberg, none of the problems in the automobile market seem to affect Ferrari. “None of the concerns on the auto industry as a whole – rising prices, rising delinquencies on subprime auto loans, and the potential for write-downs on electric vehicle investments – should be a problem for its Italian sports cars,” says Joel Levington , analyst of the economic environment.

Ferrari has become the most valued luxury brand in the world. And, along the way, it has followed the same strategy that Porsche has already targeted and wants to achieve Aston Martin: sell more expensive and exclusive cars. In fact, the company has managed to position itself at the top of the market in terms of profit margin per unit sold.

The reception of Ferrari’s next electric car remains to be known but for Porsche, with its Taycan, it has been a huge success. Ferrari’s SUV, a taboo for the most purists, has also been taboo and the company travels at a cruising pace in countries like China where, in addition, it is disassociating itself from the male buyer, managing to sell one in four vehicles to a woman.

If Ferrari is still betting on huge V12 engines, it is simply because it can afford it. These two models are put on sale with a starting price of 395,000 euros for the Ferrari 12Cilindri coupé and 435,000 euros for the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider. These are stratospheric prices from which Ferrari is taking enormous advantage.

Their sales in America are responding, in China they continue to grow and they know that, if necessary, the fines will not affect them as much as it seems in Europe. Either because they will also sell electric vehicles (reducing average emissions) or because they can pass part of them on to customers, who will continue to pay the toll for having jewelry that, in addition, will become increasingly rare and, therefore, will have a more justified price. soaring.

Images | Ferrari

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