Ferrari Going Electric?

[PRC777]

I'm not sure if this had already been discussed, but if anyone had heard about this, feel free to put in your $.02 anyway (this article is a day old).
Ferrari is going to put out a hybrid...
Is it too early to file this hybrid attempt under "fail"? For many gearheads, it probably wouldn't be...
But here is my issue. The ferrari fans/gearheads don't like this hybrid ; they keep saying, "this isn't ferrari", with reference to their history of making "garage queen", 8-15 mpg cars that Ferrari car owners don't ever drive in a daily commute. I know we can't really say anything until the car is put in production, but regardless; what do you guys think? Yay or Nay?

Ferrari set to unveil hybrid | Planetary Gear - CNET News

[sours]

I am pretty sure due to the general trend in emissions and environmentalism, most cars are going to eventually turn hybrid...


They might as well start somewhere. Doesn't mean it can't still be a sports car.

[cargirl1990]

Its end of all great engines as we know it.

[cmcpokey]

i think that ferrari doesn't enter into things lightly. i am sure they developed this as a performance biased hybrid system, there only to provide additional power to supplement whatever engine they have it attached to. while i am not sold on the issue, think of the possabilities... tax breaks, getting into the HOV lane, smugness. it makes perfect sense.

[csl177]

Gotta love the idea of spending 6-figures for smugness and access to the HOV lane.

[Ferrer]

I think that a mild hybrid in the BMW EfficientDynamics is a good idea. But a full hybrid might not be the solution, for instance if you compare the CR-Z and the Mini Cooper MINIMALISM. I prefer clever engineering rather than just going hybrid because we are being green.

[Dino Scuderia]

Everyone is on the knee-jerk train.

[NSXType-R]

Most probably, with F1 going into KERS and all, how can Ferrari ignore that in their road cars?

I just hope it's an option and not required and if you want you can still have a full ICE model.

[G35COUPE]

Amazing!!! Ferrari wanna be a tree hugger. Hahahaha!!! Its like asking Goliath to be a vegetarian. That will be the day.

[roosterjuicer]

I prefer clever engineering rather than just going hybrid because we are being green.

I have to agree.

Thats one thing i think the corvettes do very well, especially the base and even the z06. both compete favorably with most of the other cars in their classes and certainly in their price ranges performance wise yet both get pretty decent gas mileage (around 24mpg) which is much better than most other cars that are as fast as they are. And they dont even really use "clever" engineering. Just a powerful, big engine that does 1500rpm on the highway at 70mph or so.

[Ferrer]

I have to agree.

Thats one thing i think the corvettes do very well, especially the base and even the z06. both compete favorably with most of the other cars in their classes and certainly in their price ranges performance wise yet both get pretty decent gas mileage (around 24mpg) which is much better than most other cars that are as fast as they are. And they dont even really use "clever" engineering. Just a powerful, big engine that does 1500rpm on the highway at 70mph or so.

And also aerodynamics a light weight, which in addition to the engine and tall gearing all help the fuel economy. Why can't we improve on that instead of adding unnecesary complexity?

[roosterjuicer]

And also aerodynamics a light weight, which in addition to the engine and tall gearing all help the fuel economy. Why can't we improve on that instead of adding unnecesary complexity?

I think a lot of it, in normal cars not sports cars, is that people dont want to compromise. If you look at some of the older fuel sippers, such as geo metros and other similar cars, you could get fuel mileage superior to a hybrid for half the cost and less impact to the environment (less batteries). But it was impossible to look even close to cool and you generally weren't comfortable. The same rationale applies to smart cars.

With a hybrid, like a prius or an accord hybrid or the like, you still wont look cool, but at least you arent sacrificing comfort compared to the normal vehicle and you are getting slightly better mileage than without the hybrid system.

This day in age, nobody wants to compromise. Everybody wants a car that is safe, comfortable, and can climb hills and go 80mph relatively easily AND gets crazy gas mileage (by american standards). Cant do it in a geo metro, cant do it in a smart car but you can get pretty close in a prius and you can get halfway there in a normal car with a hybrid makeover without much compromise.

[nota]

Imo with this decision Ferrari are showing they are of the future, and not the past.

[Ferrer]

I think a lot of it, in normal cars not sports cars, is that people dont want to compromise. If you look at some of the older fuel sippers, such as geo metros and other similar cars, you could get fuel mileage superior to a hybrid for half the cost and less impact to the environment (less batteries). But it was impossible to look even close to cool and you generally weren't comfortable. The same rationale applies to smart cars.

With a hybrid, like a prius or an accord hybrid or the like, you still wont look cool, but at least you arent sacrificing comfort compared to the normal vehicle and you are getting slightly better mileage than without the hybrid system.

This day in age, nobody wants to compromise. Everybody wants a car that is safe, comfortable, and can climb hills and go 80mph relatively easily AND gets crazy gas mileage (by american standards). Cant do it in a geo metro, cant do it in a smart car but you can get pretty close in a prius and you can get halfway there in a normal car with a hybrid makeover without much compromise.

But still if we look at the Mini and the Honda both are still relatively cramped foru seaters with similar fuel economy and performance. And yet one gets it by fine tuning and already very good car and the other achieves it by making worse a car that's already been labelled as worse than its intended rival, Insight v Prius. On the other hand the Mini will probably be better at handling than the Honda because it'll almost certainly be lighter.

These days hybrids aren't at all about saving money, fossil fuels or being green. They are completely about image and pretending you are saving the planet. In a word, they are all about image. And yet our BMW without any pretention can do 30mpg at 110mph. No hybrid could even dream of that.

Of course though nobody cares about that. It's all about hypocresy.

[PRC777]

Imo with this decision Ferrari are showing they are of the future, and not the past.

And this helps me better clarify my question you guys. Would this decision--as nota pointed out as being "of the future"--be considered for some of us UCPers a good thing, or a bad thing? Personally, I think its a good thing (putting their pedigree aside). This can be way of showing that Ferrari can implement any new technology, even hybrid tech, and still be a thrill to own and drive...
If Ferrari does this right, of course.