Ferrari welcomed the decision to exempt e-fuel cars from the European Union’s 2035 phase-out plan for new combustion engine vehicles. The company said that it would give the luxury carmaker “greater freedom” regarding its powertrain choices for specialized models.
The European Union and Germany have agreed to sell new cars with combustion engines (ICE) beyond 2035, or 2036 for small-volume manufacturers like Ferrari. Although, the provision for such automakers is to use carbon-neutral e-fuels.
Speaking to the media on this development, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna stated:
The good news for us as a company is that on top of electric cars, we’ll also be able to go on with our internal combustion engines ones. This decision is very interesting for us because it allows ICEs to go beyond 2036.
Ferrari, known for making some of the most powerful and best-sounding petrol engines in the world, also produces plug-in hybrid cars and will launch its first full-electric vehicle in 2025. Although, like some of its rivals, Ferrari never revealed a plan to go fully electric.
Last year, Ferrari announced that 80% of its models would be electric or hybrid by 2030, with 20% still using internal combustion engines.
In this regard, Vigna stated:
This does not change. We don’t want to tell clients which car to use. We want to make three kinds of propulsion available for them – hybrid, electric and ICE – and they will chose.
Vigna reassured investors that the company’s investment plans would not be affected by combustion engines getting an extended life, as Ferrari had already integrated EV development into its business plan.
