NEWS
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9
CONFIDENTIAL
HOW IMPORTANT ARE
performance models to the
Vol k s wagen G ol f ’s success?
Well, according to the fi rm,the hot variants (the GTI,
GTD, GTE and R) made up
around 40% of sales of the
Mk7 model in the UK. The
GTD diesel was the most
popular of those, but many
buyers of the Mk8 Golf are
expected to migrate from
that to the GTE petrol-
electric plug-in hybrid.
IT HASN’T BEEN around
for long, but Cupra’s early
sales success has proved its
critics wrong, according to
new CEO Wayne Griffi ths.
“At the time, there were a
lot of people around who
had their doubts,” he said
at the launch of the new
Cupra Leon. “We’ve sold
40,000 cars globally since
launching the brand, with
25,000 of those in 2019.
That’s 70% up on the year
before.” In two years, Cupra
has become Seat’s most
profi table business unit.
A KEY REASON Volvo
partnered with Google to
create a new infotainment
operating system was to
ensure its electrifi ed cars
could offer Google Maps.
Olivier Loedel, Volvo’s
electrifi cation business
manager, said: “It’s not
about range anxiety any
more, it’s charging anxiety,and Google Maps gives
detailed information
on charging points.”
THERE’S STILL A future
for saloons, according to
Kia UK boss Paul Philpott,
despite sales of the Optima
and all but the GT S version
of the Stinger being stopped
recently. Philpott said that
if electrifi ed models arrive
that could help emissions
targets be met, Kia would
consider selling them here.
Two new Ferraris this year
Major range expansion set to continue despite Covid-19 disruption
F
errari plans to reveal two
new models this year, and
its commercial chief has
hinted they will continue
the push into new markets.
The firm launched five new
models in 2019, including the
F8 Tributo, SF90 Stradale and
Roma, as part of a major range
expansion that’s set to include15 cars in a five-year window.
At the unveiling of the Roma,
Enrico Galliera said 2020 would
b e “a ye a r of co n s o l i d a ti o n”
to support those launches.
But when asked more recently
if that meant Ferrari won’t
unveil any new cars this year,
he told Autocar: “We’re always
planning to do something more,
and we intend to make some
news. We will launch two new
models by the end of the year.”
Galliera was speaking before
the Covid-19 pandemic forced
Ferrari to suspend production
at its Maranello factory, and the
ongoing threat could lead to
the unveilings being delayed.
Ferrari is understood to be
amending its plans for the rest
of this year before an investors’First high-riding Ferrari
is scheduled for 2022
Regarding 2020, Galliera
said: “We need to consolidate
the launch of our five products
from last year but, while doing
that, we don’t stop looking for
opportunities to grow as a
company and business.”
When asked what segments
Ferrari is looking at, beyond
the Purosangue SUV that’sdue in 2022, Galliera said:
“Potentially every segment
is of interest to us, with the
caveat that Ferrari is in the
luxury sports car market.
“We can enter every market
in which we can deliver a car
that meets our position as a
luxury car firm. We have certain
limitations connected to the
[sportiness] of the car: Ferrari
is a sports car manufacturer.
“When we look at new
segments, we have to keep in
mind the soul and positioning of
the Ferrari brand, and that’s our
only limitation. There are some
natural segments, such as
sports and GT cars, but we can
look to others as long as they’re
consistent with our heritage.”
JAMES ATTWOOD
Aston still needs cash
ASTON MARTIN MAY still not
have enough working capital
to sustain it for the next year,
despite the recent £
million fundraising round and
rights issue led by billionaire
Lawrence Stroll’s consortium.
Stroll, who will take over as
executive chairman of the car
maker on 20 April, will rebrand
his Racing Point F1 team Aston
Martin F1 for the 2021 season.
The injection will allow DBX
production to start as soon as
the St Athan factory returns to
normality. First deliveries are
set for the summer if the supply
chain functions as anticipated.
More than 2000 DBX orders
h ave b e e n t a ke n a l r e a d y, p l u s
there’s strong early demand
for the new Vantage Roadster.
However, the pandemic has
still had a big impact on Aston,
with its share price hitting a
new low of £1.04 on 1 April.
MARANELLO SET TO REOPEN NEXT WEEK
Ferrari is aiming to resume
production at its Maranello
factory on 14 April after
a month-long shutdown
caused by the coronavirus.
Production was halted
on 15 March, largely due to
supply chain issues and for
workers’ safety. Maranello is
located in Emilia-Romagna,
which borders Lombardy,
the region worst hit by the
Covid-19 pandemic in Italy.
Ferrari has worked to
secure its supply chain and
is understood to have the
backing of trade unions.
Autocar understands that
Ferrari hasn’t received an
abnormal number of order
cancellations so is having to
evaluate ways to make up
for the production shortfall,
likely by adding a second
shift temporarily or working
on Saturdays.
Ferrari continued paying
its employees in full during
the shutdown. It will give a
further update on how its
business and 2020 plans
have been affected during
a n e a r n i n g s c a l l o n 4 M ay.
presentation in May but, with
production slated to resume
this month (see below), it could
still continue with its expansion.
According to Galliera, the
new cars were scheduled to
b e r eve a l e d i n th e s e co n d h a l f
of the year before the closure.
While he wouldn’t offer any
details about them, he did
hint that they will continue
Ferrari’s range expansion,
saying: “We’ll keep looking
at new, untapped markets.”
Roma coupé was one
of fi ve Fe r ra r i s tocome out in 2019
First Aston Martin SUV is absolutely crucial to the brand’s future
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