State of Ferrari: Supercar maker evolves, strives for exclusivity in consumer age

Ferrari means a great deal to a great many, but there are some things it is not--and will never be, says chairman Luca di Montezemolo. That means no full electric cars, four-doors and even fewer Ferraris.

All of this is meant to preserve equity in the famous Ferrari brand, believed to be one of the most valuable in the world in any segment of consumer products.

"Our brand is our main asset, our main strength," di Montezemolo said Thursday at a large press conference at company headquarters in Maranello, Italy.

The longtime chairman said even though competitors like Porsche have found sales success with sedans and sport utility vehicles, those are roads Ferrari will never go down, instead pointing to sister company, Maserati, which is launching the Quattroporte sedan. Maserati also is adding a smaller four-door, the Ghibli, and an SUV, the Levante, to its portfolio, further differentiating it from Ferrari. Both are owned by Fiat Group, which owns Chrysler.

Even though Ferrari employs electric technology in the LaFerrari and uses KERS in Formula One, it will not make a full electric road-going car.

"We will never manufacturer an electric car," di Montezemolo said, as long as he is chairman.

He also said his company will work to maintain its independence, even if parent Fiat completely merges with Detroit-based Chrysler and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as its main financial signpost.

"We want to keep working well--nothing will change," he said.

He also ruled out sell-off or spinoff of Ferrari, with a blunt: "No, no, no."

While Maserati aims to sell at least 50,000 units annually in the coming years, Ferrari is voluntarily constraining it's production. Sales were up four percent in the first quarter of the year to 1,798 cars, putting it on a theoretical pace for 7,192 units. But di Montezemolo said Ferrari will sell fewer than 7,000 in an effort to maintain exclusivity.

All 499 copies of the LaFerrari are also already sold out.

Ferrari will look to expand overseas, as it's hamstrung by a tax in its home market of Italy, which di Montezemolo called "crazy tax policies." The company will grow in the United States and China, its two most important markets.

By Greg Migliore