Interview: Ferrari's Enrico Galliera talks about hybrid tech, naturally aspirated V12s and the FXX programme

Are you looking at expanding the brand throughout India or will it just be the touchpoint that you have right now in Delhi and Mumbai?

No, in terms of presence, I think that now we are where we have to be. So we are in Mumbai and New Delhi, we have two centres and we think it's enough.

Enrico Galliera, the chief marketing and commercial officer of Ferrari

What about South India?

No, as soon as the market grows up enough, maybe we will have a service centre in the south of India in order to service our clients. But we're not increasing the number of sales because we want the partner to remain exclusive and being able to have a size that is able to represent the brand correctly. That's the strategy, so we are not hurrying.

How do you see the Indian market developing in the next 5-7 years?

As I was saying, from Ferrari's perspective, we are not looking for fast development. We are looking to establish our presence with the right combination. So we are not planning any aggressive volumes for our cars even though we believe that India can support it because of the dimension of the country. Because of the passion for cars, it will certainly become much bigger than today.

You've got the 812 Superfast with a V12. What's the kind of life that this V12 engine has? Every time we keep seeing the power rating increase.

You know, even with this car, there was a lot of speculation in the market saying that it was not a normally aspirated 12-cylinder, that it was hybrid or turbo engine or whatever. But this is our soul. You know, you will see throughout the presentation that the first car that went out of the factory in 1947 was a 12-cylinder and the 12-cylinder is behind the 70-year history of the company. So for us the 12-cylinder engine is the history but it is also the future. So we will keep investing on the 12-cylinder as we did and then in the future we will see, no one knows.

Is there an increasing demand for the hybrids because it's some breakthrough technology?

Hybrid technology will drive the future. So every single automotive company, even Ferrari with LaFerrari, already has hybrid technology. Currently in the factory, we are able to develop normally aspirated engines, we know how to develop turbo technology, we know how to develop hybrid technology. So we have all the expertise to combine the technology in order to achieve the maximum performance. What is clear is that, for us, hybridisation doesn't mean only reducing the emission. Hybridisation means increasing the performance, so as soon as the technology will allow us to increase the performance, there is going to be something happening. So we are working on that, but it will happen whenever we have the solution.

Are there any takers for the FXX programme in India?

We have an Indian client who is participating in the FXX programme. We have a second one who will probably start soon. This is going exactly in the direction I was telling you. There are clients in the country who like to drive, who know what it means to drive a sportscar, who are not buying a car to show it off – this is not a Ferrari. A Ferrari is a car you have to drive and the FXX programme allows maximum emotions on the track to a client who wants to experience it. We already have it and I'm sure we will have more in the future.