The way I see it

The FF, or something similar to it, was bound to happen. Fiat is pushing Ferrari to be more profitable. Fiat decided that, to do so, Ferrari needed to expand its product offerings into new market niches. Fiat is pushing Maserati to do the same thing with the soon to be released SUV.

I understand why Fiat wants Ferrari to penetrate these new market niches. My problem is with the execution.

The FF is, to my tastes, not a very attractive design. It may be quite a performer on the track, but at that price point, style counts, too. And it just looks so... un-Ferrari-like.

While I am not the biggest fan of modern day Lamborghinis, in contrast to the FF, Lamborghini's newest offering, the four-door Estoque, is quite attractive and instantly recognizable as a Lamborghini.

Frankly, I am a bit concerned for Ferrari's designs at the moment. On the one hand, I think Ferrari hit an enormous home run with the Italia--exceptional performance and superb styling. But the California and FF leave me feeling like they could have done a substantially better job with each, especially when I contrast these cars against Maserati's GranTurismo and GranCabrio.

 

... there is truth in your statement.

The world is changing rapidly and the supercar market along with it. Ferrari is pushing into different market directions while attempting to continue to appeal to its historical base. That's quite a tight-rope act.

In the Old Days, Ferrari could stick its nose up in the air at the likes of Lexus. But the Old Days are gone. Ferrari is facing new and stiffer competition at every turn, both from their historic rivals and from upstarts.

And their primary market is rapidly changing, too. As someone else noted earlier in this thread, China/Asia is undoubtedly developing into the largest automobile market in the world and will soon dwarf North America and Europe combined. In 2010, GM, for the first time in its 102 year history, sold more cars in China than it did in the US. That's a pretty amazing fact and one that is sending shock waves throughout the entire automobile industry, Ferrari included. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133176256

 

And don't forget the "Go Green" mania that is, rightly or wrongly, sweeping the world. And the new fuel economy and emissions standards. Ferrari is like any other automobile manufacturer and must respond to these issues.

 

Typically, it is love at first sight!

By the way, Matt, I also live in St. Louis. Nice to meet you!

 

The point is that the world is changing rapidly. Consider that Lexus, as a marque, has only existed for a little over 20 years. In that remarkably short lifespan, Lexus has grown into one of the world's most popular and profitable premium automobile brands. The LFA (no longer uses the hyphen) is a "halo" car that is designed to showcase Lexus' engineering prowess and share the stage with the world's most exclusive supercars. And the LFA, for a first effort, does a pretty good job of it, too.

Neither Ferrari nor any of the other established supercar manufacturer can ignore the fact that the sand under their feet is shifting rapidly, as is evidenced by both the LFA and, to perhaps an even greater extent, by the Nissan GT-R. The latter being a car that delivers supercar performance (naught to 60 in 3.5 seconds and a top speed just under 200MPH) for a fraction of what an entry level Ferrari sells for. And it's a lot more reliable and easier to fix when it needs service.

This is the new reality in which Ferrari and other supercar manufacturers now exist.

 

I couldn't agree more. An entry-level $30,000 Mustang GT now runs the track virtually as fast as a $60,000 BMW M3. Performance is being commoditized, and the price points just keep dropping.

Regarding Ferrari marketing its provenance, sure, that means a lot to those of us who grew up in Europe or North America, being spoon fed the rich Ferrari legacy.

But a freshly minted Chinese millionaire won't know Enzo Ferrari from Elvis Presley, and won't care about either. So, the question is, How is Ferrari going to differentiate itself and successfully compete in this new market over the next decade or two? I believe the Italia is a very compelling answer. But the California and, to a greater extent, the FF... not so much.

 

The point I made is that Ferrari cannot rely on its provenance to "sell" its cars in the new world markets. It is going to have to respond to potential customers with something more than, "Yes, I know the Nissan GT-R is faster, more reliable and costs one-third the price. But this... this is a Ferrari!"

Ferrari can, for the time being, get by with that marketing pitch in Europe and North America, where the Ferrari brand and legacy is firmly entrenched in our popular cultures. However, in China, 50% of the population is under the age of 35 and have no idea what (or who) is a Ferrari. How is Ferrari going to compete in that market? How is Ferrari going to convince the new Asian millionaire that he should buy a 599 instead of an LFA? The "Ferrari heritage" isn't the answer because, unfortunately, it is unknown and unimportant.

 

But the percentage of North American and European consumers who follow F1 is tiny. And the percentage of Asian consumers who follow F1 is so small it can't even be quantified.

Ferrari is going to have to come up with a branding strategy that is considerably more penetrating than F1 if it hopes to retain its position as the world's dominant supercar manufacturer over the next decade or two.

In that regard, I have to tip my hat to our German friends. How many new fans of Audi were created worldwide by their creative product placement in Iron Man 2? Every time a teenager watches Tony Stark fire up his Audi R8 Spyder, he's being programed to want one. Fiat and Ferrari are going to have to get a lot smarter and more progressive with their branding efforts than simply winning races.

 

Second to Coke?

Ferrari doesn't even make it onto the list of the Top 100 most recognizable brands worldwide according to BusinessWeek. Of the 100 most recognized brands, the top automobile marques in order of recognition are:

7th. Toyota
10th. Mercedes-Benz
15th. BMW
19th. Honda
30th. Ford
(Harley-Davidson, a maker of mortorcycles, comes in at 45th.)
56th. Volkswagon
74th. Audi
75th. Hyundai
80th. Porsche
92nd. Lexus

I find your comments very telling in that they demonstrate how biased we are to believe the rest of the world thinks as we do.

And, I must respectfully remind you that this is not the 1980s. The economic and competitive landscape has changed monumentally in the last 30 years.

 

The world has changed. I agree that in Europe and North America, Ferrari is obviously well-established in our popular cultures. But, on a worldwide basis, as is demonstrated in that poll I just posted, Ferrari is not a worldwide dominant brand.

And, yes, the LFA is definitely a fine competitor against the Ferrari 599. In fact, when Car and Driver magazine compared the LFA against the 599, the LFA took the crown.

Like it or not, the world is a very different place than it was just a decade ago and Ferrari is going to have to adapt to it quickly. The 458 is a remarkable machine that will compete--and win--against anything similar. But the California, and now, FF? I think both have fallen short of their marks.

 

I support my analysis with facts.

And, the fact is that the Ferrari brand is not well-known on a worldwide basis, especially when contrasted against competitors Mercedes-Benz or BMW.

I know, to some of you, that is a difficult thing to imagine. But it is true.