14 Straight Years Of Sales Increases
At the 2007 North American International Auto Show today, Ferrari announced that it ended 2006 with its fourteenth straight annual sales increase, and that it will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a worldwide event for Ferrari owners and their cars.
Ferrari sold 5,700 units worldwide in 2006 and 1,635 in North America. That’s a 5.5 percent increase over 2005 sales, according to M. Toscan Bennett, director of public relations and communications for Ferrari North America. With 30 percent of its worldwide sales taking place here, North America is the marque’s most important market.
Sales could grow more rapidly in the future, because the company is looking at new markets. “We are looking very carefully (at) what is happening in the fast growing markets, mainly Far East and China,” said Amada Felisa, general manager of Ferrari Sp.A.
“Of course for a company that makes exclusivity a golden rule, (5,700 units) may seem like a lot of cars,” Felisa said. “But if you look to our waiting list you understand that our rate of growth in term of sales is lower than the market request.”
“The Ferrari 60 Relay” is a relay racing event in which Ferrari owners will drive legs of a route across five continents and fifty countries in 148 days. The rally will start January 28 in Abu Dhabi, where a Ferrari theme park is planned. From the Middle East the rally will move to the Far East, then South Africa, then South America before coming to North America and then on to Europe. The rally will end in Maranello, Italy, the hometown of Ferrari, on June 24. A three-day party will begin June 21.
“To commemorate the celebration of the 60 years, we decided to do it in a special way. We want to use this celebration to be focused on our customer,” said Felisa. He said he expects at least 10,000 Ferrari owners to take part.
The automaker is preparing a series of sixty 612 Scaglietti special editions, each of which will represent one of the 60 finest moments in Ferrari history.