We've known Ferrari has a hybrid V-8 in the pipeline. According to a new report, the engine will debut in a new supercar later this year.
Automotive News Europe (subscription required) reported Friday that Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri confirmed the hybrid supercar will bow sometime this year. It will not, however, show up at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The website's source said to expect a V-8 engine paired with an electric motor to boost performance over the Ferrari 488 Pista's 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque and help make the car more fuel efficient. Late Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO, Sergio Marchionne, said in 2016 that most new cars from the Italian firm would boast hybrid powertrains from 2019 onward.
Camilleri said 60 percent of Ferrari cars will have a hybrid variant come 2022. After 2022, the supercar maker will launch an all-electric model, he added.
2016 Ferrari 488 GTB
The shift comes as Ferrari plans to boost production output with a new SUV model, which will forfeit the company's exemption from carbon dioxide regulations. Ferrari has sold fewer than 10,000 cars per year, which kept it out of regulations' targets. In 2021, the European Union will implement stricter emissions regulations Ferrari will need to adhere to as its sales volumes expand with an SUV.
Camilleri added first deliveries of the hybrid supercar will take place in early 2020 and it will not be a limited-edition car. We suspect the new supercar will, in fact, succeed the Ferrari 488. The firm's boss also said the car will have a normal lifecycle, which is further evidence the 488's days are numbered.
2016 Ferrari 488 GTB
The hybrid supercar will be only the second Ferrari ever to sport a hybrid powertrain, though it will be the first to implement a true hybrid system. The Ferrari LaFerrari flagship supercar boasted a KERS-style hybrid system that boosted performance without any efficiency gains.
Enthusiasts shouldn't be too worried of the hybrid V-8, though. Marchionne also said the powertrain under development did not tarnish any of the brand's core characteristics. That's a tough ask given the extra weight the motor and battery will add. We await what an electrified prancing horse can do.