Some comforting words from Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne for petrolheads that are concerned the naturally aspirated V12 will soon be history. Marchionne said: “we will always offer a V12.”
To combat the ever more pressing emission regulations, the Italian supercar brand chooses for a hybrid powertrain instead of turbocharging their V12 engines. Ferrari’s head of engine programs said ‘it would be nuts’ to put a turbocharger on a V12.
Marchionne further added that the hybrid system is not all about lowering CO2 emissions. “The objective of having hybrid and electrics in cars like this is not the traditional objective that most people would have. We’re not trying to make two targets. We’re really trying to improve the performance on the track.”
For now Ferrari still produces under 10,000 vehicles a year, although there are intensions to go beyond that figure which will make the manufacturer subject to different CO2 legislation. However, thanks to the ‘small manufacturer’s agreement’, none of that will be an issue for now.
Currently in the EU we are dealing with EU6B emissions legislation, regulations which the new Ferrari 812 Superfast comfortably sits under. The next hurdle will be EU6C legislation and after 2021 the challenging ‘Ultra Low Emission Vehicle’ legislation (ULEV), which will be met with Ferrari’s V12 hybrid powertrain.
