In August, Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Ferrari and a sentient being, said that a Ferrari SUV would “probably” happen. Today, Marchionne confirmed at the New York Stock Exchange that the SUV is, indeed, happening. Get ready!
Marchionne has denied for months, if not years, that Ferrari would make an SUV, sometimes invoking life and death to emphasize just how serious he is, as in February 2016 when he said that you would have to “shoot [him] first” before Ferrari made one.
Fast forward to today, and things have change. When Marchionne said that FCA would indeed be making them, he again invoked death (ease up, Sergio!).
From Bloomberg:
Sergio Marchionne confirmed speculation that Ferrari NV will make its first sport utility vehicle model while tamping down rumors that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV may part ways with Jeep.
Ferrari is beyond just considering an SUV and will take about 30 months to decide on production, which will be limited to preserve exclusivity, Marchionne told reporters Monday at the New York Stock Exchange. The comments went a step further from when the CEO said during an August earnings call that an SUV would “probably happen.”
“We’re dead serious about this,” Marchionne said of what he referred to as the “FUV” model. “We need to learn how to master this whole new relationship between exclusivity and scarcity of product, then we’re going to balance this desire to grow with a widening of the product portfolio.”
So now Marchionne is calling it an FUV, too. FUV! Don’t call it an FUV. It’s an SUV. A Ferrari SUV. Own it.