Ferrari Will Build More Hybrids, But They’ll Never Run On Just Electricity

While some sports car companies like Porsche have embraced hybrid technology with open arms, others have only just started to toy with mating combustion and electric drivetrains. While the new LaFerrari hybrid is a good first step, some have wondered how far Ferrari will take their hybrid tech. Apparently the supercar maker is very into hybrids, just not the kind you plug in.

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezelmolo told Bloomberg News that while Ferrari “stongly believes in hybrids”, the company doesn’t intend to ever build a car that will run silently on just electricity.  Montezelmolo doesn’t “believe” in electric cars the same way he believes in hybrids. Why? Because part of the Ferrari mystique is that impossible-to-replicate engine sound, and you just don’t get that with EVs…just instant torque and increidble acceleration.

Instead of pursuing pure electric cars, the Italian automaker will use hybrid technology to boost performance and lower emission. But you can forget about a fully-electric Ferrari, or even a plug-in hybrid model, at least for now.

The thing about technology is that it’s always moving forward, and eventually Ferrari may be forced to build an electric supercar just to stay competitive. With wealthy buyers flocking to Tesla’s all-electric Model S, and competitors like Porsche rolling out creative and powerful plug-in hybrid supercars, Ferrari may come to regret that decision. Shades of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, anyone?

Source: Bloomberg News