Ferrari Announces It Will Not Make 'Arrogant' Move to Phase Out Internal Combustion Engines
Italian luxury sports car maker Ferrari has pledged to continue manufacturing internal combustion engine automobiles through the 2030s.
“I don’t want to be arrogant and impose a choice on our client,” Ferrari Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna said in an interview with the BBC reported Sunday.
“It is the client who must choose if they want an [internal combustion engine], a hybrid or an electric car,” Vigna said.
Governments worldwide and authorities in the European Union have long sought to phase out internal combustion engine cars in favor of electric-powered ones.
In October 2022, the European Union agreed on legislation that would force automobile manufacturers in member states to attain a 100 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035, according to Reuters.
The wire service noted the proposed rules would, in effect, prohibit the manufacture of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
However, the EU’s ambitious climate proposals brought it into conflict with Germany, Italy and several Eastern European countries who demand that exemptions be made for carbon-neutral e-fuels before such a ban is enacted, Elecktrek reported.
Germany and Italy are home to several major automobile brands.
According to the BBC, the push toward electric vehicles marks a significant “marketing challenge” for sports car manufacturers such as Ferrari.
Part of the traditional appeal such vehicles has is the noise made by their eight-to-12-cylinder internal combustion engines, the outlet reported. In contrast, electric cars are relatively quiet.
Ferrari traditionally has been opposed to making the transition to electric vehicles.
Luca di Montezemolo said in 2013, when he led the company, that Ferrari “will never manufacture an electric car as long as I’m chairman,” Yahoo Auto reported.
However, according to Fortune, the company shifted gears on the transition to electric vehicles as companies such as Porsche and Maserati began making them.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Ferrari aims to start selling electric vehicles by 2025.
The company said its EV would offer a “unique driving experience,” the BBC reported.
Despite the move to electric vehicles, Ferrari said it would continue building internal combustible engine cars as they are “an essential part of the company’s heritage,” the BBC reported.
According to the outlet, the EU agreed to exempt vehicles running on carbon-neutral e-fuels from the ban on internal combustion engine vehicles in March.
Not all jurisdictions have made exemptions for e-fuel vehicles in their electric vehicle transition mandates.
“We have to cope with the rules of all the countries we operate in,” Vigna told the BBC. “The reason we have three kinds of propulsion — ICE, hybrid, and electric — is that it allows us to cope with any regulation, all over the world.”
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