Alexandre
If there's one brand that doesn't disappoint (well, except in F1), it's Ferrari. Quarter after quarter, half-year after half-year, year after year, the brand founded by Enzo Ferrari continues to break records, in terms of sales, revenue, profits and cash flow.
At the beginning of November, Ferrari presented its figures to investors. To sum up: orders are up on all continents, for all models, until 2025.
The two latest models on the market, the exceptional Ferrari 296 Challenge and Ferrari 499P Modificata are sold-out.
In a nutshell Ferrari's 9-month figures for 2023 compared with previous years
| Years | Sales | CA | Earnings | Treasury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (9 months) | 10418 | 4.44 billion | 963 million | 708 million |
| 2022 | 13221 | 5.09 billion | 939 million | €759 million |
| 2021 | 11155 | 4.27 billion | €833 million | 546 million |
| 2020 | 9119 | 3.46 billion | 609 million | €130 million |
| 2019 | 10131 | 3.76 billion | 699 million | 600 million |
As we announced during the figures for the first half of 2023, Ferrari will break a profit record and exceed one billion euros.
And, against all expectations, luxury and sports cars do have their clientele in France. Europe, which accounts for 40 % of sales, versus 32 % for the USA. In fact, China has fallen back in the rankings, accounting for "only" 11 % of sales versus 14 % the previous year.
Another interesting point, By the 3rd quarter of 2023, Ferrari will have sold more hybrid engines than 100 % combustion engines. This indicates that the SF90 Stradale and the 296 GTB and GTS account for at least 51 % of sales, and would therefore explain the brand's good health in Europe. And yes, as a reminder, these PHEV powertrains have almost no ecological penalty...
If we had to find a negative point, which isn't really one, engine sales fell by 33 %, for 13 million euros. As a reminder, the only customer for V6 and V8 engines is Maserati.
In the end, Ferrari revises its targets upwards. The brand's initial sales target was 5.8 billion euros, but in the end it will be 5.9 billion euros. Come on, with a little effort, 6 billion isn't far off? And if it dares not give a sales target, 14,000 units by 2023 is more than likely.
A full order book through to 2026
But there are other reasons for Ferrari's insolent success, which is not likely to diminish any time soon, since its boss, Benedetto Vigna, is forecasting sales of 6.7 billion in 2026. After all, a Ferrari signed today will be delivered this very year.
Delivery times don't drive customers to other brands, however, because competition is non-existent, unlike in the premium segment where Audi, BMW and Mercedes fight it out for a common target. In luxury, it's nothing like that. Porsche isn't exactly in the same league, and Maserati hasn't yet woken up from its lethargy, nor has Aston Martin. Only Lamborghini is doing well, but not as well as Ferrari. So the Cavallino's customers wait, orders increase, and more and more.
Where I find Ferrari very strong is that they manage to launch many models compared to other brands, and also manage to surprise with new engines like the latest V6!
That's right, and they manage to keep the price of each model high, increasing in value after a few years. But they also have an authentic Aura in motorsports (which contributes enormously to each brand), a network and royal product and after-sales follow-ups. Not to mention that they take customer consideration into account like no other brand (whatever their staff, they aim for the best who will work with them) and have always kept the same method since their creation, which is that once a model is released, they already tackle the one that will replace it, and this has become unique in the automotive world. This is also a large part of the Toyota method for Lexus.
When you see the Aura from Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati, you wonder what they're waiting for to apply the same method and have their own V6 hybrids, and Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep their 6-cylinder hybrids.
Sometimes you wonder if it's all on purpose!
It's not volume that determines profitability, but the brand/customer correlation.
There's also the fact that they do almost everything from A to Z themselves, and for customers that's a primordial quality, unlike Lamborghini, which is more of a sports prestige brand, but premium because it shares too many elements with the VAG group (like Rolls Royce VS Bentley), and that's something customers are far from in favor of.
That's why Alfa, Lancia and Maserati should share their common elements, while still having their own V6 and deliberately limiting the number of examples, because the more limited the number of examples, the more customers are attracted by the fact of being happy not to have the same product as Mr. Everyone else, and the price remains stable whatever the base price.
Alexandre, who also owns a Quattroporte 5, the basic models were limited by Ferrari, and we've seen the result in terms of sales, which have been a hit, just like the 4200GT, which in addition have both evolved from year to year.
That's why putting Alfa under Ferrari's tutelage and giving Maserati back its independence by placing Lancia under its tutelage would only be beneficial for all concerned. We also need a network that reflects Ferrari's image and treats the customer like a little prince!
Whatever people say, the Tonale isn't selling that well, and the BSUV will be a flop.
We really need to put a stop to these by-products, which are designed to be in a generalist range and not in a range of sports, luxury or prestige vehicles.
"We don't know if there's a microclimate floating over the Modena region. In any case, the weather in Maranello is very nice, especially these days. Ferrari has just announced its third-quarter figures, and they're more than good. Net profit? It jumped by 45.7 % compared with the same period last year. Purosangue and other 296s are snapped up, and the brand with the red cars is forecasting a record 2023, with a margin of 38% on sales of 5.9 billion euros. The Milan Stock Exchange got the message, and the automaker's share price rose by 6 %. A rise that has reached 50 % at the basket since the beginning of the year."
In short, if Maserati, Lancia and Alfa don't want to get out, they'll either have to do it the Lexus/Genesis way or the Ferrari way!
Everything else is a waste of finance and image destruction.
Ferrari is a brand that almost everyone dreams of, with exceptional cars that stand head and shoulders above the competition.
The 296 GTB's V6 hybrid is said to be exceptional, proving that hybridization is the solution for powerful engines, not all-electric.
Ferrari's results are exceptional. They are constantly innovating, producing new models on a regular basis.
I've heard that in 2025 there'll be an electric Ferrari, so it'll be interesting to see if customers follow suit.
If only Alfa Romeo and Maserati could imitate Ferrari a little by releasing new models so often.
But this would require attractive models in the sports and luxury segment (such as the Giulia, Stelvio, GTV 2+2, cabriolet, sedan, DSUV and supercar for Alfa, and keeping the same range for Maserati with a new Ghibli, Quattroporte, Levante, Grecale, Alfieri coupé and cabriolet as well as the Granturismo and Grancabrio with the MC20, as well as a range of the same concept for Lancia, while eliminating the 4-cylinder versions and aiming only for V6 hybrids (petrol, bioethanol, synthetic and diesel) that are improved year after year and attract affluent customers, enabling the brand to survive while voluntarily limiting the number of examples in order to keep used car prices stable.
There's no point in trying to achieve volume at all costs and move downmarket, as we've seen with BMW, Mercedes and Audi, who may have achieved volume by producing compact sedans and SUVs, but this hasn't prevented their profits from falling year after year, and they're having to invest more and more, believing that economies of scale will lead to profits, when in fact the opposite is true, as Ferrari and Lexus have shown.
When you see the profit that some people are making with the News Delta, the Stratos or the 037 or even the future MonteCarlo... it makes you wonder what Stellantis is waiting for to do the same... ah yes they prefer to make m...e that no one will buy and will justify getting rid of the brands while investing all the dough in PSA!!!!