Shock and horror: Ferrari plans an electric supercar

If you’ve been hankering for a fully-electric supercar from the Prancing Horse, you’re in luck. Ferrari and FCA CEO, Sergio Marchionne, who is stepping down soon, recently confirmed there are plans for a Ferrari EV.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Marchionne said “If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari will be the first,” despite Mercedes-Benz releasing the SLS AMG Electric Drive in 2013 and Audi debuting the R8 e-tron in 2015. He went on to praise Elon Musk and Tesla for what they have accomplished, adding that “it’s doable by all of us.”

The new business plan, scheduled to be published in the first half of 2018, will include hybrid models. “Going from there to an electric is easy,” says Marchionne. Ferrari has already dipped its toes into the hybrid pool with the sold-out, and rather good, LaFerrari.

The man has long been a sceptic of alternative powertrains but said in an interview before the Detroit Motor Show that, by 2025, fewer than half of cars sold will be purely combustion powered as petrol and diesel make way for hybrid, electric and fuel-cell powertrains.

The upcoming plan will be Marchionne’s last at the helm of Ferrari which is targeting annual sales of 10,000 units. This self-imposed limit permitted the brand to operate under slightly relaxed fuel economy rules. Ferrari is also aiming to double profits to about 2 billion euros this year.