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Italy wants Ferrari and Lamborghini exempt from internal-combustion engine ban

Italy wants to protect Ferrari and Lamborghini from a proposed future ban on internal-combustion engines enacted by the European Union, Bloomberg reported Saturday.

The Italian government is in talks with the EU about exempting the two supercar builders from a proposed phaseout of new internal-combustion vehicles announced in July, which would go into effect in 2035, according to the report.

Rome is reportedly arguing that the proposed rules should be applied differently to high-end supercar builders because they are “niche” manufacturers that don’t make many vehicles.

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

It’s worth noting that the rules haven’t been finalized. They must first be discussed by member nations and the European Parliament, a process that could take up to two years, according to Bloomberg. Countries are likely to propose amendments to protect local industries, with France already proposing more lenient emissions targets, the report said.

Both Ferrari and Lamborghini have slowly embraced electrification, but so far only in the form of hybrid powertrains for production vehicles. After flip flopping a bit, Ferrari now appears committed to at least one EV. The automaker previously cited limited battery technology as an obstacle, although that hasn’t stopped Croatian firm Rimac, which now also controls Bugatti.

Ferrari in April said its first EV, expected to be a crossover, will be unveiled in 2025. The automaker is also adding hybrid powertrains to more models. The Lamborghini Aventador successor due in 2023 is expected to be a hybrid, ending the run of non-electrified V-12 Lambo supercars. Lamborghini hasn’t announced firm plans for an electric car, however.

Mission Winnow Removes Logo From Ferrari, Cites “Mistrust” In Tobacco Industry

Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP (Getty Images)

Ferrari’s Mission Winnow sponsorship has been questioned on a regular basis since it was first introduced in 2019. Mission Winnow is, basically, Philip Morris’ not-so-subtle vaping initiative. Philip Morris is, basically, Marlboro. Overt tobacco sponsorships have been discouraged but not completely banned in Formula One for several years. Still, Philip Morris is so upset by the apparently distaste for tobacco in racing that the company has decided to remove its Mission Winnow sponsorship from the Ferraris due to “mistrust.”

Riccardo Parino, Vice President of Global Partnerships at Philip Morris, had quite a lot to say about the whole situation:

The Mission Winnow logo will not be featured on the Scuderia Ferrari livery during races in the EU, starting with the French Grand Prix this weekend.

Mission Winnow respects all laws and regulations and continuously strives to find distinctive ways to drive dialogue, free of ideology, and build strong partnerships that are rooted in shared values.

We acknowledge the mistrust and abundance of skepticism towards our industry. However, our intention is not to create controversy around the application of the logo but rather focus on re-framing global conversations, building communities, and supporting innovative ideas that drive positive change.

That probably shouldn’t come as a surprise to Parino. While tobacco advertising was a huge part of F1’s sponsorship packages back in the 1970s and 1980s, a greater understanding of the dangers of smoking has encouraged a pulling back of overt tobacco sponsorships. F1 hasn’t set any hardline rules about the subject, but some countries have a ban on any advertising by a tobacco company. That’s the reason Australia requires Ferrari to remove the Mission Winnow sponsorships, along with McLaren’s removal of the British American Tobacco “A Better Tomorrow” branding. Neither of these sponsorships directly sell tobacco, but because they’re tied to tobacco companies and could indirectly bring someone to tobacco products, they’re not allowed by certain governments.

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Silk-FAW hires its second Ferrari veteran

Silk-FAW, the Chinese and Italian partnership developing high-performance cars for China’s Hongqi brand, has hired its second former Ferrari executive in less than two months.

The latest to join the team is veteran Ferrari engineer Roberto Fedeli, who has been tapped to develop self-driving, electrification and connectivity technologies, Automotive News (subscription required) reported on Tuesday.

His appointment follows that of Amedeo Felisa only last month. Felisa served as CEO of Ferrari between 2008 and 2016, and has been hired by Silk-FAW as a special adviser.

Fedeli spent 26 years of his career at the Prancing Horse, during which time he led development of some of the world’s best performance cars including the LaFerrari, F12 Berlinetta and 458 Italia. He left in 2014 to join BMW and in 2016 was hired by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now part of Stellantis).

Roberto Fedeli

Silk-FAW has been tasked with developing a range of high-performance, high-luxury electric cars and hybrids for Hongqi, a historic Chinese luxury car brand owned by FAW Group. Cars developed by Silk-FAW will be sold under a new S series sub-brand at Hongqi.

The first of these models is the S9 hybrid hypercar (shown main) unveiled at Auto Shanghai 2021 in April. The S9 is due to start production in 2023 at Silk-FAW’s facility in Reggio Emilia, Italy, located a short drive from Ferrari’s headquarters.

According to Automotive News, Silk-FAW plans to invest $1.2 billion over the next three years and already has plans for S3, S5 and S7 models. Some of the new models will be built in China.

The latest news comes just a day after Ferrari named Benedetto Vigna, a senior executive at a leading semiconductor chip manufacturer, as its new CEO.

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Ferrari postpones 2020 Finali Mondiali due to coronavirus

Ferrari announced Wednesday it will need to postpone this year’s running of the annual Finali Mondiali motorsport gathering due to the latest restrictions in place in Europe aimed at preventing the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The event was originally scheduled to take place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and was already rescheduled to take place at the Misano World Circuit in Italy from November 5-8.

Ferrari said it is committed to a further rescheduling of the event. Many countries in Europe are restricting gatherings until at least the end of November to combat a recent flare up of coronavirus cases.

The Finali Mondiali is Ferrari’s annual gathering celebrating the end of the motorsport season and is open to the public. It also serves as the final round for some of Ferrari’s one-make GT racing programs, as well as the Corse Clienti track day program. The latter sees owners of Ferrari’s retired race cars and experimental cars like the LaFerrari FXX K Evo get together for a weekend of track action, all organized by Ferrari.

Ferrari also uses Finali Mondiali sometimes to debut new race cars, as well as experimental cars. For instance, the FXX K Evo above made its debut during 2017’s event.