Photo: Tesla, Ferrari | Edited
There are not many things Tesla and Ferrari have in common, but the latter’s company CEO, Benedetto Vigna, thinks there are things Tesla deserves praise for. Nevertheless, Ferrari won’t follow the same path as it addresses very different customers’ needs.
Try to compare Ferrari and Tesla, and you’ll get a lot of raised eyebrows from people around you. This is not different from how Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna reacted when Bloomberg asked him what he thinks about Tesla. Sure, being taught manners as a kid, Vigna sugarcoated the answer, but that doesn’t change things too much.
Ferrari is an iconic company with a tradition of selling classy performance cars to the world’s wealthiest. On the other hand, Tesla aims to sell electric vehicles to the masses. There isn’t much to connect the two companies other than Ferrari will also produce electric vehicles at some point in the future. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s CEO clarified that Ferrari EVs would remain firmly connected to its customers’ desires rather than needs.
Asked what he has learned from Tesla, Vigna dodged the question, saying that its biggest contribution to the automotive industry was shaking it up. Vigna praised the EV maker for being faster and more agile than anybody in a landscape where everything happened too slowly. Although he seemed to praise Tesla, he also dismissed its vehicles as merely “functional cars” meant to move people from one point to another and nothing more.
By contrast, Ferrari produces emotional cars that give drivers a unique driving experience. As Ferrari prepares its first electric vehicle, Vigna promised to offer its clients the same thrills as combustion engines. This is why the Prancing Horse is not in a hurry to go electric, although Vigna doesn’t agree it’s lagging behind others. It’s just that there’s still room for a mix of technology.
If this statement reminds us of anything, it’s Toyota’s stance on electric vehicles. Nevertheless, Ferrari has a clear advantage over Toyota in its reluctance to switch to EVs. Like Akio Toyoda, the Japanese carmaker’s CEO, Vigna thinks there’s too much hype around electric vehicles. Most people are looking too much at technology instead of clients’ perception, he says. Nevertheless, Ferrari clients don’t necessarily want an electric car. They want a Ferrari, regardless of the powertrain.
Unlike Toyota, Ferrari doesn’t have a competitor. Nothing is threatening its business. The only threat Vigna sees is the luxury industry as a whole becoming obsolete. New generations might not put the same price on luxury goods, so Ferrari invests a lot in sustainability and becoming carbon neutral. This is the only drive that pushes Ferrari towards electrification.
Ultimately, Benedetto Vigna considers electric vehicles easy from a technological point of view. Building an electric Ferrari would not be a problem. “The real question is how to extract the best emotion for the use of this technology you want to provide to the driver,” Vigna said to Bloomberg. “Technology is just a tool, and I think there’s too much money poured into this.”
Ferrari is an iconic company with a tradition of selling classy performance cars to the world’s wealthiest. On the other hand, Tesla aims to sell electric vehicles to the masses. There isn’t much to connect the two companies other than Ferrari will also produce electric vehicles at some point in the future. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s CEO clarified that Ferrari EVs would remain firmly connected to its customers’ desires rather than needs.
Asked what he has learned from Tesla, Vigna dodged the question, saying that its biggest contribution to the automotive industry was shaking it up. Vigna praised the EV maker for being faster and more agile than anybody in a landscape where everything happened too slowly. Although he seemed to praise Tesla, he also dismissed its vehicles as merely “functional cars” meant to move people from one point to another and nothing more.
By contrast, Ferrari produces emotional cars that give drivers a unique driving experience. As Ferrari prepares its first electric vehicle, Vigna promised to offer its clients the same thrills as combustion engines. This is why the Prancing Horse is not in a hurry to go electric, although Vigna doesn’t agree it’s lagging behind others. It’s just that there’s still room for a mix of technology.
If this statement reminds us of anything, it’s Toyota’s stance on electric vehicles. Nevertheless, Ferrari has a clear advantage over Toyota in its reluctance to switch to EVs. Like Akio Toyoda, the Japanese carmaker’s CEO, Vigna thinks there’s too much hype around electric vehicles. Most people are looking too much at technology instead of clients’ perception, he says. Nevertheless, Ferrari clients don’t necessarily want an electric car. They want a Ferrari, regardless of the powertrain.
Unlike Toyota, Ferrari doesn’t have a competitor. Nothing is threatening its business. The only threat Vigna sees is the luxury industry as a whole becoming obsolete. New generations might not put the same price on luxury goods, so Ferrari invests a lot in sustainability and becoming carbon neutral. This is the only drive that pushes Ferrari towards electrification.
Ultimately, Benedetto Vigna considers electric vehicles easy from a technological point of view. Building an electric Ferrari would not be a problem. “The real question is how to extract the best emotion for the use of this technology you want to provide to the driver,” Vigna said to Bloomberg. “Technology is just a tool, and I think there’s too much money poured into this.”
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