Ferrari To Build Hybrid-Powered Sports Car by 2015
In an interview with German mag Welt am Sonntag, Ferrari's President has vowed to reduce the automaker's greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half. [In case you're wondering "who asked?" Ferrari faces the same stringent new European C02 regs as all the other camakers.] What's more, Ferrari's going to build a hybrid-powered supercar. "We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources," Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said with characteristic aristocratic reserve [guessing]. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Luca also "insisted that any future hybrid Ferrari would still be 'fundamentally a Ferrari.'" And somewhat of a FIAT? No! The hybrid "will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1." The Herald reckons LCDM was referring to Ferrari's Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS), designed to draw extra power from the brakes (as opposed to the habit of flying around the world in private jets burning hundreds of thousands of liters of avgas). When asked if Ferraristi would look kindly on a hybrid supercar (i.e. pay through the nose to own one), di Montezemolo had no doubts (as if). "Yes, of course," he said. "It's the best sports car in the world." Anyone know the Italian word for chutzpah?
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The biggest problem with a hybrid Ferrari, is that Toyota would likely be able to build something that would embarrass their effort, both in terms of cost, and probably performance as well.
eh_political, I didn't see the sarcasm tag. Surely an oversight on your part. Seeing as you've completely missed the point, otherwise, I don't think the Prius crowd would cross-shop the brands. Nor do I think Ferrari is looking to build a car that gets 40-odd mpg --unless it was made out of balsa wood, not unlike the MilliChilli concept. Oh, and if you really want to compare Toyota to Ferrari, why don't you tune into a Formula One race sometime and watch what happens.
It would be less of an Apples to Oranges comparison if you were to compare the products of Toyota to Paccar (Peterbilt/Kenworth/DAF) than to Ferrari. Toyota makes some of the best transportation appliances in the world. Ferrari makes a relative handful of very expensive cars that will be enjoyed by wealthy gear heads. If Ferrari builds a better exotic car with some hybrid aspects good for them.
In other news, Toyota announced plans to build a 2400lb, mid-engined supercar with a 2.9l turbo V8 making 470 HP.