Iconic luxury sports car Ferrari on Thursday entered the Indian market with the launch of its popular models like California, 458 Italia, 599GTB Fiorano and the latest FF, with prices starting at Rs.2.20 crore.
“Till yesterday, Ferrari was present in 57 countries…now we are in the 58th country, India. We should have been in India much before...we wanted to be here at the right time after testing the market. We are here for the long run. We hope to sell more than 100 cars in the next 2-3 years,” Ferrari SpA CEO Amedeo Felisa told journalists here at the opening of their first dealership. The Italian carmaker has appointed the Shreyans Group as its official importer in India.
The range of Ferrari, which will be sold in the Indian market, includes the 8-cylinder California, a convertible GT with a retractable hard top, priced at Rs.2.20 crore; while 458 Italia, a two-seater sports car with mid-rear mounted engine, comes with a price tag of Rs.2.56 crore. Similarly, high-performance 12-cylinder 599 GTB Fiorano has been priced at Rs.3.37 crore; while FF, Ferrari's latest release that comes with four-wheel drive technology (4RM) carries a price tag of Rs.3.41 crore.
Mr. Felisa said globally, Ferrari sold 6,500 cars in 2010 and this year, the company hoped to do much better.
“This year, we expect to beat our best-ever sales of 6,700 units achieved in 2007,” he said. The US is Ferrari's biggest market, accounting for about 30 per cent of sales, followed by Germany, while Japan is the biggest in Asia.
“The Great China region, comprising China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, also has great potential and could become the company's second largest market,” he added. The company sold about 600 units in the region last year. The company also said the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers — Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa — are likely to participate at the inaugural Indian GP in October this year.
