Ferrari to Keep Strategic EV Component Development In-House

Oslo: Benedetto Vigna, the Chief Executive of Ferrari, stated on Tuesday that the esteemed Italian luxury sportscar manufacturer will consistently prioritize the internal development of essential components for its vehicles. This declaration comes as Ferrari gears up to introduce its inaugural fully electric car later in the current year.

Departing from its heritage of powerful gasoline engines, Ferrari is scheduled to present its first all-electric vehicle on October 9 in Maranello, its home city. This transition follows the introduction of hybrid-electric models starting in 2019.

Speculation arose recently concerning a potential partnership between Ferrari and Leapmotor, a Chinese EV producer, for future Ferrari EV models. This speculation was fueled by Leapmotor CEO Zhu Jiangming’s social media post featuring a selfie with Vigna, where he expressed hopes for increased communication and collaboration between the two entities.

Vigna, previously a prominent figure in the microchip sector, has visited Leapmotor twice this year as part of his business engagements in China. He mentioned that he maintains numerous “friends” globally from his prior professional experiences, particularly within the EV domain.

“Do we have Chinese suppliers? The answer is yes. Are they manufacturing strategic components? The answer is no,” Vigna stated during an interview with Bloomberg TV at a Norges Bank event in Oslo.

“I believe that’s the extent of it.”

Leapmotor provided clarification recently, stating that there are no ongoing discussions with Ferrari.

Vigna conveyed that Ferrari does not engage in the development of “platforms,” referring to technological frameworks that can support multiple vehicle models.

“Our vehicles possess unique characteristics; they are not platform-based,” he stated, noting that Ferrari does not procure platforms from external collaborators.

“And furthermore, strategic components will consistently remain in-house. This has been the practice, it remains the practice, and it will always be under our direct control,” he affirmed.

Vigna noted that the company already engages in collaborations on non-strategic components with partners from China, Europe, America, Japan, and other Asian countries.

“When addressing non-strategic components, we seek out and select appropriate partners,” he explained.

Vigna specified that essential components for Ferrari EV cars encompass electric motors and axles, excluding battery packs.