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Saab, Mercedes Hybrids on the Way

Ferrari Vows It Will "Never" Make a Smaller, Cheaper Car

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

March 9, 2007

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Two upscale automakers plan to bring new hybrids to the marketplace, providing new status symbols and more options for consumers searching for clean and efficient transportation but don't look for a Ferrari hybrid anytime soon.

Saab is developing a hybrid vehicle based on technology provided by parent company General Motors. Saab hopes to reduce development costs by using parts produced for other GM vehicles. Meanwhile, Fiat's luxury sports carmaker Ferrari says it will unveil a new eight-cylinder model at the Frankfurt auto show in the fall and dismissed speculation it would eventually make a smaller, cheaper car.

Mercedes-Benz plans its first hybrid car in two years. Mercedes-Benz is in a three-way alliance with General Motors and BMW to develop full hybrids that link an electric motor and batteries to a standard combustion engine.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. are the industry leaders in hybrid development and sales. While hybrids account for less than 2 percent of all vehicles sold, the entry of two high line automakers will provide increased competition for the Japanese automakers now dominating the hybrid segment.

Saab would not disclose when the company plans to begin selling its first hybrid vehicle but Mercedes-Benz will bring its first hybrid to market in 2009.

Mercedes is working separately with BMW on mild hybrids for rear-wheel-drive premium cars.

A mild hybrid can boost acceleration and make engines work more efficiently in stop-and-go traffic. The vehicle costs less than a full hybrid which can cut fuel consumption by a fifth while adding thousands to the price.

Mild hybrids do not offer the same fuel savings as a full hybrid and cannot run on battery power alone.

GM is set to start selling full-sized SUVs with full hybrid technology late this year. That will be followed in 2008 by the Dodge Durango full-sized SUV as the selection of hybrid vehicles available to consumers increase.

Ferrari

While other automakers may be looking for ways to produce a smaller, cheaper, more fuel-efficient car, Ferrari makes it clear it wouldn't even think of such a thing.

"We will stick to (our intentions) of presenting a new Ferrari model every year after the great success of the 599 (GTB Fiorano)," Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo told reporters after a news conference at the Geneva auto show.

Launched last year, the two-seater, front-engine 599 GTB Fiorano has a two-year waiting list for buyers, he said.

Montezemolo did not provide details about the new model, but a Ferrari statement later issued to Reuters said the model would be based on the V-8-powered F430, its biggest-selling car.

"It is a new model on which there's been key research on weight reduction, performance obtained from Ferrari's experience in (Formula 1) competitions, and safety," it read.

Montezemolo, who is also chairman of Fiat, the majority owner of Ferrari, said it would never make a smaller, cheaper model.

"Ferrari will not make a small Ferrari," he said. "There is no project."

Journalists and analysts have speculated that Ferrari could come out with a cheaper version of its super cars to compete with the likes of Porsche or Aston Martin.

Montezemolo said Ferrari had received 5-6 percent more orders in January and February than it did for the same period last year.

Ferrari would sell about 6,000 units this year compared with 5,650 in 2006.

"We will sell the same number of cars in each of our traditional markets, but more in new markets," he said. "We need to maintain Ferrari's exclusivity."

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