Europe might be in the midst of an electrification transformation, but Ferrari has no plans to give up on its most powerful internal combustion engine: the naturally aspirated V-12.
"We will invest into this type of engine as long as it will be possible," Ferrari Product Marketing Manager Pietro Virgolin
Ferrari's commitment to the V-12 comes as rivals drop their largest engines because of pressure to reduce CO2.
For example, the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow will be the BMW Group subsidiary's last V-12 coupe as it transforms into an electric-only brand.
The limited run of 12 units is already sold out, Rolls-Royce said Monday.
BMW dropped the same engine last year.
Bentley has said it will stop production of parent Volkswagen Group's 6.0-liter, W-12 engine next year as the brand shifts to selling electric cars.
"The time has come to retire this now-iconic powertrain as we take strides toward electrification," Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said in a statement.
The Italian supercar maker also plans an electric car, due to in 2025, but has not revealed plans to go all-electric.
It further underlined its combustion-driven position with a surprising decision to drop a 6.5 liter, V-12 into the new Purosangue's engine bay.
Most competitors in the sporty crossover/SUV space have opted for turbocharged V-8s or V-6s.
Virgolin said Ferrari chose to use the V-12 in the Purosangue, the brand's first four-door car, "because it offered the best performances and enabled a better positioning within the Ferrari product range."
Bigger engine also means higher price tag.
At 390,000 euros in Italy, the Purosangue will cost nearly twice as much as a V-8-powered Roma coupe. Meanwhile, the SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid, which uses a turbocharged V-8 with total power output of 986 hp, is even more expensive, starting at 440,000 euros.
Profit margins for cars with larger engines are also higher, Ferrari says.
While Ferrari isn't giving up on V-12s, they only accounted for 18 percent of the company's European sales in 2022, led by the 812 GTS roadster, according to market researcher Dataforce. The V-12 share is expected to grow in the short term because of demand for the Purosangue.
Different paths
The list of V-12s in high-end cars is short.
Aston Martin offers them in the DB11 and DBS coupes.
Mercedes-Benz offers a V-12 on the top-of-the-range Maybach sedan.
Lamborghini said the plug-in hybrid supercar that will replace the Aventador coupe will have a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter, V-12 engine coupled with three electric motors.
The Volkswagen Group subsidiary's first plug-in hybrid is scheduled to be unveiled next week.
While Ferrari offers plug-in hybrids featuring V-8 and V-6 engines, it has no plans to hybridize its
V-12 engine.
In addition, Ferrari is fighting a bid by Europe's lawmakers to ban the sale of models with internal combustion engines (ICEs) starting in 2035. Ferrari and Porsche are among the automakers that believe synthetic e-fuels should be carved out from the EU's planned 2035 ban.
A final vote on the 2035 ban was due on March 7, but was indefinitely delayed amid fears that Germany could abstain, which would torpedo the regulation.
Should Europe enact an ICE ban in 2035, Ferrari and its competitors would still be able to market their V-12s, V-8s and V-6s in many other parts of the world. But for Ferrari a ban would hurt as more than 40 percent of its shipment were to Europe last year.
