Ferrari profits soar to record high

Ferrari sales have surged to a record high in the first half of 2012, netting the Italian supercar manufacturer an all-time best profit for a six-month operating period of €100.8 million – around £81.2 million.

This is an improvement of 10% on last year’s figures and stemmed from 3,364 car deliveries – a 7.4% improvement on the number of Ferraris delivered to customers over the same period in 2011.

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Since the start of 2012, sales of Ferrari vehicles in the UK have risen by 43% compared to last year. That’s a total of 393 cars.

Other important markets for Ferrari – including the Far East and the Middle East – also continued their expansion, recording a 10% and 7% improvement respectively, with 400 and 190 vehicles delivered in the first six months of the year.

Sales have dropped in Ferrari’s home territory of Italy, however, a situation it attributes to “the financial crisis and the introduction of new taxes”. Sales dropped to 187 cars, that’s 164 cars short of figures from the first half of 2011.

Despite this, the overriding picture for Ferrari amongst a world troubled by recession is highly positive.

Ferrari Chairman, Luca di Montezemelo:

“These results, achieved against a still highly challenging international economic backdrop, are first and foremost a reward for our constant and significant investment in technological innovation.

“The completely new range we are now in a position to offer clients across the globe means we can look forward to ending 2012 having improved still further on last year’s financial performance.”

Ferrari’s range expansion over recent years – offering the California, 458 Italia, 458 Spider and four-wheel drive FF, as well as the new F12 Berlinetta GT and forthcoming F70 hypercar rumoured to be making its debut at this month’s 2012 Paris Motor Show – has and will continue to attract new Ferrari customers.

Speaking to the BBC, Chief Executive Amedeo Felisa believes, “if you compare the situation at Ferrari to five years ago, we have reshaped the range of products.”

Ferrari’s strong sales have been supported by resurgence in the Formula 1 World Championship standings, where driver Fernando Alonso leads the series by 37 points from Lewis Hamilton.

Luca di Montezemolo hinted at the appearance of the new F70 Enzo successor strongly rumoured to appear at Paris, highlighting “over the coming months, we will be focusing hard on a revolutionary new road car and on the last races in a Formula 1 World Championship that looks set to be both thrilling and hard-fought to the very last.”

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Video: Ferrari FF – the supercar for the family