The 999th client, Johnson Zhang, symbolically turned the key of his Ferrari 458 Italia, illuminating a screen with the number 999.
“With this car I made a dream come true. The dream of every man. I’m glad that I can experience this very special moment for China. For me Ferrari is the symbol of success and the brand’s values are an inspiration for the upcoming goals I want to achieve,” said Johnson Zhang.
Ferrari arrived in China just over five years ago, finding a market that proved to be increasingly important for the Prancing Horse, with 300 cars sold in 2010 and an outlook of impressive growth.
“For Ferrari, China represents the present and the future. It is a great country where we continue to invest. I’m convinced that in a couple of years, we’ll reach sales of 500 cars per year, a number equal to established European markets,” stated Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa.
The Ferrari Owners Club China was founded in 2009 and everything is set up for the first Ferrari Challenge series, the company's one-make Championship, to be held this year in Asia.
The bond between Ferrari and China, however, is not exclusively commercial. Back in 2009, artist Lu Hao created a unique 599 GTB, painting its livery with a special technique, reproducing the antique Song dynasty’s Ge Kiln porcelain. Moreover, Shanghai was the stage for the first presentation outside of Europe of the experimental laboratory vehicle, HY-KERS, in 2010.
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