Business / Motoring Opinion

Beijing auto show voices

(China Daily) Updated: 2014-04-28 06:36

Editor's note: Italian super sports car makers Ferrari and Lamborghini fascinated the audience at the Beijing Auto Show with their dream models. Top executives of the companies are also in Beijing and they share insights into what makes top sports cars and a racing culture.

Amedeo Felisa, CEO of Ferrari SpA

Ferrari will continue to consolidate its leadership in the super sports car market. It has been rated one of the most influential brands in the world in the past two years and our target is to keep this position in the years to come.

Ferrari now has full portfolio on the market, with both 12-cylinder and 8-cylinder engine displacements, including four-wheel-drive four-seat FF coupe, F12berlinetta, 458 Italia, 458 Spider and 458 Speciale, as well as the California T now on display at the Beijing auto show. This is the most complete lineup in our history.

For myself, a very important task is to ensure our achievements in emission reduction. We highlight both performance and emission reduction when designing new cars.

Take California T for example, the model has peak power of 560 hp. But its fuel consumption has been reduced by 15 percent and emissions by 20 percent compared to previous generations.

We will design more new products to meet diverse customer needs. For each existing model, we will develop an updated generation every four to five years. We will use the most advanced technologies and solutions at the time for every new product to offer the best driving experience for customers.

As a luxury brand, Ferrari does not pursue sales volume. Offering rare, high-quality products to customers is our goal from the first day. Because Ferrari always produces "one car less than the market", we are not influenced by market fluctuations. This is also true when today's luxury market slows down, especially in China.

In China, we are more concerned with providing top-notch services to help customers fulfill their dreams. Our highlight at present is to promote racing culture. We recently offered the Pilota Intro driving training to our racing learners. We also have safety training for drivers nationwide. We will open a tailor-made service center and the Ferrari Academy in Shanghai sometime this year. These are the first two such facilities outside our headquarters in Italy.

China is Ferrari's second-largest market. We hope more Chinese people join the Ferrari family to enjoy the genuine pleasure of racing.