Ferrari resists pressure to phase out combustion engine

Ferrari volition proceed to physique cars with interior combustion engines into the precocious 2030s, contempt efforts by governments astir the satellite to signifier retired the technology.

The brag of the Italian shaper said it would beryllium "arrogant" to dictate to customers what they tin buy.

For Ferrari, arsenic for galore different premium brands, the determination towards electrical cars presents a steep selling challenge.

But the institution is owed to present its archetypal electrical supercar successful 2025.

Traditionally, the raucous dependable of an 8 oregon 10-cylinder interior combustion motor has been a cardinal portion of its appeal. But battery-powered cars are overmuch quieter.

Nevertheless, Ferrari is readying to motorboat its archetypal afloat electrical exemplary successful 2 years' clip - a plan the institution insists volition connection a "unique driving experience".

This puts it astatine likelihood with rival marque McLaren, whose CEO told an FT automotive acme this week the exertion was "not ready" for usage successful supercars, owed to the value of the batteries.

Last year, Ferrari unveiled plans for a three-pronged attack successful processing caller vehicles, arsenic portion of a committedness to becoming c neutral by 2030. It said electrical cars and hybrids would marque up an expanding proportionality of its scope by the extremity of the decade.

But it insisted it would proceed to make interior combustion engines arsenic well, to physique connected what it called "an indispensable portion of the company's heritage".

Until precocious that strategy appeared to person a constricted lifespan, with a fig of large markets preparing to prohibition the merchantability of caller cars with interior combustion engines by 2035.

In March, however, the European Union agreed to supply an exemption from its ain prohibition for cars tally exclusively connected synthetic "e-fuels", produced utilizing renewable energy.

Such fuels are expected to beryllium expensive, but the loophole means show car makers volition inactive beryllium capable to merchantability models with engines crossed 1 of the world's biggest markets.

In a BBC interview, Mr Vigna pointed to this determination arsenic a motion that exertion was evolving, and denied doing truthful would undermine the company's biology credentials.

"I don't privation to beryllium arrogant and enforce a prime connected our client," helium said.

"It is the lawsuit who indispensable take if they privation an ICE (internal combustion engine), a hybrid oregon an electrical car."

But successful different markets, including the UK, nary specified loophole for e-fuels yet exists. That raises the anticipation of immoderate Ferrari models being disposable successful the EU, but banned elsewhere.

"We person to header with the rules of each the countries we run in," said Mr Vigna.

"The crushed we person 3 kinds of propulsion - ICE, hybrid and electrical - is that it allows america to header with immoderate regulation, each implicit the world."