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2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Ferrari’s V6-engined Dino, an entry-level Ferrari that never actually wore Ferrari’s prancing horse badge.
With challenging regulatory environments and emissions targets to meet, 2018 surely seems like a fine time to resurrect the Dino name and concept. Yet it appears far more likely Ferrari will look to burst through its 10,000-unit annual production barrier with an FUV, rather than a Dino that, Automotive News reports, would likely be priced 20-percent below the current entry-level Ferrari.
The California T stickers from $202,723.
“We need to explore ways to attract customers to traditional values of the brand such as style, performance and engine sound before downgrading the entry level price for the brand,” Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne told analysts.
Downgrade. Pfft. Downgrading is for Porsche and McLaren.
It’s been a dozen years since Marchionne seemed certain that a Dino revival was a sure bet. In 2005, only the timing was in question. But amidst divergent plans at Ferrari’s executive level, departed Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo persistently rejected the defunct Dino’s overtures.
Fast forward to 2017 and Marchionne seems to believe the Dino may well not necessary. The less costly Dino would be an attempt on Ferrari’s part to attract younger buyers, but Marchionne already describes Ferrari’s burgeoning Asian buyer base as, “phenomenally young.” Meanwhile, the FUV is going to be responsible for shaking Ferrari’s money maker.
Globally, Ferrari sold a record 8,014 new vehicles in 2016, representing 5-percent year-over-year growth and enough production for the company to earn $432 million in net profit
According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Ferrari sales are up 5 percent to 1,421 units through 2017’s first seven months, more than double Lamborghini’s total.
Whether a Dino is set to join the almost-certain FUV in extending Ferrari’s lineup is a decision Ferrari has put off until the early part of next year. Wading into SUV waters is likely enough of a sea change for Ferrari’s loyal clientele for the time being.
[Image: Ferrari]
Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.
FCA makes the Dino. It’s called the 4C
Or the Giulia Quadrifoglio for that matter. It even has what basically amounts to a Ferrari V6 under the hood, just like the Dino.
So back in the day they wouldn’t cheapen the brand with a V6, but now they are going to sell an SUV. Awesome
By their profit, it seems they have made a few correct strategic moves.
The entry-level Ferrari is a used Ferrari? Worked for Porsche for a long time.
$202K for the cheapest. Yikes! That is what, double and more than the inflation adjusted price of a 308 or a Mondial back in the day? And they are doing record volume even at these prices. A LOT of rich people in the world these days.
No don’t do it. BMW is mass market. MB is no longer exclusive. Ferrari still gets “daym, u rich and you got a cool car”
BMW and Mercedes being “exclusive” is a strictly American view. In the rest of the world, they have largely always just been cars. Nice cars for sure, and they made some exclusive models, but ultimately about what Pontiac/Buick were in the US back in the day. Both have always been mass market cars in the rest of the world. There is nothing exclusive about a 200D taxi cab. Or ultimate driving machine about a 316.
But I agree – for no good reason I have a lot more problem with the concept of a Ferrari SUV than I do with a Porsche one. But on the other hand, Lamborghini makes tractors… Yes, I know that isn’t the same Lamborghini anymore but it used to be! Either is about as relevant to my life as the price of tea in China.
Ahh – the Dino 246 – nice looking and handling at a “bargain” Ferrari price, but also slower than a contemporary 911 or Corvette, made of steel that would turn into Swiss cheese in 3 years, offering a bus-like driving position, and propelled by a V-6 that needed a complete overhaul by 30,000 miles. I’m sure the world is waiting eagerly for another car from Ferrari offering the same enticing combination of features.
To be fair, other than being slower than a 911 your complaints applied to every other Ferrari in the Dino’s era too. As the old saying went, Enzo sold you an engine and threw the rest of the car in for free. They were pretty much really fast pieces of crap.
I’d argue they still are… But my interest in fast sports cars stops at the level of a base engine Porsche Cayman.
I’d still take a Dino over an equivalent 911 – it’s so pretty and less likely to go through a hedge backwards.
Excepting the dorky Bentayga and the boxy Range Rover, all of the new super premium SUVs look like cheaper models. The Jag resembles a Cherokee, the Maserati looks like a blobby Nissan Murano, etc. They just don’t stand out, whereas nobody will ever mistake a Ferrari sports car for a Corvette. The SUV 2-box shape just doesn’t lend itself to individualization like a sports car does. Now don’t get me wrong, if Ferrari makes an SUV they’ll have plenty of buyers who just want exclusivity. But really, is any buysr of one of those things ever going to care how fast it laps the Nurburgring? Does any new Range Rover ever see off-road condotions? Do any of the old men who buy Porsche Panamera Turbos ever explore that car’s very high limits? My point is that most of the people who buy these very high end sedans and SUVs would be perfectly satisfied with a Lexus if they could accept the fact that they’re everywhere and not exclusive.