Ferrari Denies SUV, Four-door, and Motorcycle Rumors

YAHOO AUTOS

                    

By Zach Doell            


 

Last week’s hot-button topic, aside from the unorthodoxy of a hybrid Lamborghini, was the prospect of Ferrari venturing into the arena of motorcycle production. The impetus? A patent application for a V-twin engine.

While we weren’t convinced of Maranello’s jaunt down two-wheeled lane, our skepticism was validated by comments from outgoing Ferrari chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

As reported by Autocar, Montezemolo joked about incoming Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne’s intentions to build a “truck” for the Ferrari range, noting that he “talked him out of it.” Montezemolo confirmed that Ferrari would continue to move forward with a focus on two-door sports cars rather than SUVs, four-doors, or any motorcycles.

This makes the idea of the v-twin range-extender an even likelier prospect for a future plug-in hybrid Prancing Horse. With a small two-cylinder engine in tow, an EV Ferrari could race along with oodles of electric torque and top-off the reserves when the batteries begin to run low, or even push more power to the wheels, much in the same vein as the BMW i3 and i8.

Of course, it could also be vaporware not intended for production at all, but we’ll hold fast to our dreams of a PHEV little brother to the LaFerrari. Other good news? Ferrari production will remain exclusive at around 7,200 cars per year.