logo
Ferrari's first EV may be benchmarked against a Chinese electric super sedan

Ferrari's first EV may be benchmarked against a Chinese electric super sedan

The Advertiser2 days ago
Ferrari may have pushed back the launch of its second electric vehicle (EV) due to "zero" demand, but that should give the famed Italian brand plenty of time to benchmark it against the world's latest and greatest EVs.
At the top of that list is the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the Chinese-made battery-electric super sedan which recently topped the Rimac Nevera to set a new Nurburgring lap record for a production EV, and the Porsche Taycan to claim a new four-door lap record at the infamous German circuit.
The high-performance Chinese EV recorded a time of just 7:04.957 seconds around the 20.8km Nordschleife public road course.
It's unclear whether Ferrari has actually purchased an Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, as some commenters have stated, but a bright yellow example of the battery-powered super sedan has been spotted leaving Ferrari's Maranello headquarters, as you can see in these images posted to Instagram and Chinese social media website Weibo.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
The SU7 isn't sold in Italy and this particular vehicle appears to be wearing Italian trade plates, suggesting Ferrari has imported the Chinese EV for research and development purposes.
If so, it would be the first time in Ferrari's history that a Chinese vehicle has entered Maranello for either R&D or benchmarking purposes.
That makes sense, given the Xiaomi only commenced deliveries of the SU7 Ultra in March and Ferrari is preparing to launch the first EV in its 80-year history.
Tentatively named 'Elettrica', the first electric Ferrari will be a limited-edition EV that will debut a new four-door Ferrari body style that looks more like a liftback or shooting brake wagon than the Purosangue SUV.
Already seen in spy shots, Ferrari's first EV has reportedly been designed in conjunction with Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive and will be larger than other Ferrari models.
Pricing will apparently start from US$500,000 ($A770,000), and Ferrari expects to sell roughly 700 to 800 per year.
Its powertrain will be revealed in Maranello on October 9, as part of a three-stage global launch for the mould-breaking EV, first customer deliveries of which are due to commence from October 2026.
But Ferrari's second EV, which has now been delayed by at least two years, is expected to be a higher-volume, high-performance model that will need to offer stratospheric performance to match the SU7 Ultra.
The SU7 Ultra packs a tri-motor powertrain that produces no less than 1138kW of power and 1770Nm of torque – and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 1.98 seconds.
It also features an advanced thermal management system to cope with sustained high-speed driving, which could be a particular focus for Ferrari.
While Xiaomi plans to sell 10,000 examples of the SU7 Ultra this year alone, Ferrari's first two EVs will be much more limited.
Following its inaugural limited-edition EV, Ferrari's subsequent battery-electric vehicle is planned to be a core model that will find 5000 to 6000 buyers during its five-year lifespan.
However, sources at Maranello have told Reuters this second EV, which was initially due to be unveiled at the end of 2026, has been pushed back for a second time and will not make its public debut until 2028 at the earliest.
One of the newswire's informants said this was due to "zero" long-term, sustained demand for a high-performance EV from Ferrari.
Ferrari isn't the first Italian performance car brand to change its EV plans, with Maserati axing the electric MC20 supercar before its launch, and Lamborghini delaying its first EV until 2029, when it may actually launch as a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) rather than a fully electric vehicle.
MORE: Everything Ferrari
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Ferrari may have pushed back the launch of its second electric vehicle (EV) due to "zero" demand, but that should give the famed Italian brand plenty of time to benchmark it against the world's latest and greatest EVs.
At the top of that list is the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the Chinese-made battery-electric super sedan which recently topped the Rimac Nevera to set a new Nurburgring lap record for a production EV, and the Porsche Taycan to claim a new four-door lap record at the infamous German circuit.
The high-performance Chinese EV recorded a time of just 7:04.957 seconds around the 20.8km Nordschleife public road course.
It's unclear whether Ferrari has actually purchased an Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, as some commenters have stated, but a bright yellow example of the battery-powered super sedan has been spotted leaving Ferrari's Maranello headquarters, as you can see in these images posted to Instagram and Chinese social media website Weibo.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
The SU7 isn't sold in Italy and this particular vehicle appears to be wearing Italian trade plates, suggesting Ferrari has imported the Chinese EV for research and development purposes.
If so, it would be the first time in Ferrari's history that a Chinese vehicle has entered Maranello for either R&D or benchmarking purposes.
That makes sense, given the Xiaomi only commenced deliveries of the SU7 Ultra in March and Ferrari is preparing to launch the first EV in its 80-year history.
Tentatively named 'Elettrica', the first electric Ferrari will be a limited-edition EV that will debut a new four-door Ferrari body style that looks more like a liftback or shooting brake wagon than the Purosangue SUV.
Already seen in spy shots, Ferrari's first EV has reportedly been designed in conjunction with Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive and will be larger than other Ferrari models.
Pricing will apparently start from US$500,000 ($A770,000), and Ferrari expects to sell roughly 700 to 800 per year.
Its powertrain will be revealed in Maranello on October 9, as part of a three-stage global launch for the mould-breaking EV, first customer deliveries of which are due to commence from October 2026.
But Ferrari's second EV, which has now been delayed by at least two years, is expected to be a higher-volume, high-performance model that will need to offer stratospheric performance to match the SU7 Ultra.
The SU7 Ultra packs a tri-motor powertrain that produces no less than 1138kW of power and 1770Nm of torque – and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 1.98 seconds.
It also features an advanced thermal management system to cope with sustained high-speed driving, which could be a particular focus for Ferrari.
While Xiaomi plans to sell 10,000 examples of the SU7 Ultra this year alone, Ferrari's first two EVs will be much more limited.
Following its inaugural limited-edition EV, Ferrari's subsequent battery-electric vehicle is planned to be a core model that will find 5000 to 6000 buyers during its five-year lifespan.
However, sources at Maranello have told Reuters this second EV, which was initially due to be unveiled at the end of 2026, has been pushed back for a second time and will not make its public debut until 2028 at the earliest.
One of the newswire's informants said this was due to "zero" long-term, sustained demand for a high-performance EV from Ferrari.
Ferrari isn't the first Italian performance car brand to change its EV plans, with Maserati axing the electric MC20 supercar before its launch, and Lamborghini delaying its first EV until 2029, when it may actually launch as a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) rather than a fully electric vehicle.
MORE: Everything Ferrari
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Ferrari may have pushed back the launch of its second electric vehicle (EV) due to "zero" demand, but that should give the famed Italian brand plenty of time to benchmark it against the world's latest and greatest EVs.
At the top of that list is the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the Chinese-made battery-electric super sedan which recently topped the Rimac Nevera to set a new Nurburgring lap record for a production EV, and the Porsche Taycan to claim a new four-door lap record at the infamous German circuit.
The high-performance Chinese EV recorded a time of just 7:04.957 seconds around the 20.8km Nordschleife public road course.
It's unclear whether Ferrari has actually purchased an Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, as some commenters have stated, but a bright yellow example of the battery-powered super sedan has been spotted leaving Ferrari's Maranello headquarters, as you can see in these images posted to Instagram and Chinese social media website Weibo.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
The SU7 isn't sold in Italy and this particular vehicle appears to be wearing Italian trade plates, suggesting Ferrari has imported the Chinese EV for research and development purposes.
If so, it would be the first time in Ferrari's history that a Chinese vehicle has entered Maranello for either R&D or benchmarking purposes.
That makes sense, given the Xiaomi only commenced deliveries of the SU7 Ultra in March and Ferrari is preparing to launch the first EV in its 80-year history.
Tentatively named 'Elettrica', the first electric Ferrari will be a limited-edition EV that will debut a new four-door Ferrari body style that looks more like a liftback or shooting brake wagon than the Purosangue SUV.
Already seen in spy shots, Ferrari's first EV has reportedly been designed in conjunction with Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive and will be larger than other Ferrari models.
Pricing will apparently start from US$500,000 ($A770,000), and Ferrari expects to sell roughly 700 to 800 per year.
Its powertrain will be revealed in Maranello on October 9, as part of a three-stage global launch for the mould-breaking EV, first customer deliveries of which are due to commence from October 2026.
But Ferrari's second EV, which has now been delayed by at least two years, is expected to be a higher-volume, high-performance model that will need to offer stratospheric performance to match the SU7 Ultra.
The SU7 Ultra packs a tri-motor powertrain that produces no less than 1138kW of power and 1770Nm of torque – and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 1.98 seconds.
It also features an advanced thermal management system to cope with sustained high-speed driving, which could be a particular focus for Ferrari.
While Xiaomi plans to sell 10,000 examples of the SU7 Ultra this year alone, Ferrari's first two EVs will be much more limited.
Following its inaugural limited-edition EV, Ferrari's subsequent battery-electric vehicle is planned to be a core model that will find 5000 to 6000 buyers during its five-year lifespan.
However, sources at Maranello have told Reuters this second EV, which was initially due to be unveiled at the end of 2026, has been pushed back for a second time and will not make its public debut until 2028 at the earliest.
One of the newswire's informants said this was due to "zero" long-term, sustained demand for a high-performance EV from Ferrari.
Ferrari isn't the first Italian performance car brand to change its EV plans, with Maserati axing the electric MC20 supercar before its launch, and Lamborghini delaying its first EV until 2029, when it may actually launch as a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) rather than a fully electric vehicle.
MORE: Everything Ferrari
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Ferrari may have pushed back the launch of its second electric vehicle (EV) due to "zero" demand, but that should give the famed Italian brand plenty of time to benchmark it against the world's latest and greatest EVs.
At the top of that list is the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the Chinese-made battery-electric super sedan which recently topped the Rimac Nevera to set a new Nurburgring lap record for a production EV, and the Porsche Taycan to claim a new four-door lap record at the infamous German circuit.
The high-performance Chinese EV recorded a time of just 7:04.957 seconds around the 20.8km Nordschleife public road course.
It's unclear whether Ferrari has actually purchased an Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, as some commenters have stated, but a bright yellow example of the battery-powered super sedan has been spotted leaving Ferrari's Maranello headquarters, as you can see in these images posted to Instagram and Chinese social media website Weibo.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
The SU7 isn't sold in Italy and this particular vehicle appears to be wearing Italian trade plates, suggesting Ferrari has imported the Chinese EV for research and development purposes.
If so, it would be the first time in Ferrari's history that a Chinese vehicle has entered Maranello for either R&D or benchmarking purposes.
That makes sense, given the Xiaomi only commenced deliveries of the SU7 Ultra in March and Ferrari is preparing to launch the first EV in its 80-year history.
Tentatively named 'Elettrica', the first electric Ferrari will be a limited-edition EV that will debut a new four-door Ferrari body style that looks more like a liftback or shooting brake wagon than the Purosangue SUV.
Already seen in spy shots, Ferrari's first EV has reportedly been designed in conjunction with Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive and will be larger than other Ferrari models.
Pricing will apparently start from US$500,000 ($A770,000), and Ferrari expects to sell roughly 700 to 800 per year.
Its powertrain will be revealed in Maranello on October 9, as part of a three-stage global launch for the mould-breaking EV, first customer deliveries of which are due to commence from October 2026.
But Ferrari's second EV, which has now been delayed by at least two years, is expected to be a higher-volume, high-performance model that will need to offer stratospheric performance to match the SU7 Ultra.
The SU7 Ultra packs a tri-motor powertrain that produces no less than 1138kW of power and 1770Nm of torque – and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 1.98 seconds.
It also features an advanced thermal management system to cope with sustained high-speed driving, which could be a particular focus for Ferrari.
While Xiaomi plans to sell 10,000 examples of the SU7 Ultra this year alone, Ferrari's first two EVs will be much more limited.
Following its inaugural limited-edition EV, Ferrari's subsequent battery-electric vehicle is planned to be a core model that will find 5000 to 6000 buyers during its five-year lifespan.
However, sources at Maranello have told Reuters this second EV, which was initially due to be unveiled at the end of 2026, has been pushed back for a second time and will not make its public debut until 2028 at the earliest.
One of the newswire's informants said this was due to "zero" long-term, sustained demand for a high-performance EV from Ferrari.
Ferrari isn't the first Italian performance car brand to change its EV plans, with Maserati axing the electric MC20 supercar before its launch, and Lamborghini delaying its first EV until 2029, when it may actually launch as a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) rather than a fully electric vehicle.
MORE: Everything Ferrari
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Modi to visit China for first time in seven years
Modi to visit China for first time in seven years

Perth Now

time8 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Modi to visit China for first time in seven years

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for the first time in more than seven years, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the United States rise. Modi will go to China for a summit of the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which begins on August 31, a government source, with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters. India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His trip will come at a time when India's relationship with the US faces its most serious crisis in years after US President Donald Trump imposed the highest tariffs among Asian peers on goods imported from India. Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday, imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil. The penalties for buying Russian oil are part of US efforts to seek a last-minute breakthrough that will bring about a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. Trump's top diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, is in Moscow, two days before the expiry of a deadline the president set for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Modi's visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin for the summit, a Eurasian political and security grouping that includes Russia, will be his first since June 2018. Subsequently, Sino-Indian ties deteriorated sharply after a military clash along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in Russia in October that led to a thaw. The giant Asian neighbours are now slowly defusing tensions that have hampered business relations and travel between the two countries. Trump has threatened to charge an additional 10 per cent tariff on imports from members of the BRICS group of major emerging economies for "aligning themselves with Anti-American policies". Meanwhile, India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is in Russia on a scheduled visit and is expected to discuss India's purchases of Russian oil in the wake of Trump's pressure on India to stop buying Russian crude, according to another government source, who also did not want to be named. Doval is likely to address India's defence cooperation with Russia, including obtaining faster access to pending exports to India of Moscow's S400 air defence system, and a possible visit by President Vladimir Putin to India. Doval's trip will be followed by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in the weeks to come. US and Indian officials told Reuters a mix of political misjudgement, missed signals and bitterness scuttled trade deal negotiations between the world's biggest and fifth-largest economies, whose bilateral trade is worth over $US190 billion ($A293 billion). India expects Trump's crackdown could cost it a competitive advantage in about $US64 billion ($A99 billion) worth of goods sent to the US that account for 80 per cent of its total exports, four separate sources told Reuters, citing an internal government assessment. However, the relatively low share of exports in India's $US4 trillion ($ A$6.2 trillion) economy is expected to limit the direct impact on economic growth. On Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of India left its GDP growth forecast for the current April-March financial year unchanged at 6.5 per cent and held rates steady despite the tariff uncertainties.

World's longest suspension bridge to connect Sicily to Italian mainland in $24b project
World's longest suspension bridge to connect Sicily to Italian mainland in $24b project

9 News

time8 hours ago

  • 9 News

World's longest suspension bridge to connect Sicily to Italian mainland in $24b project

Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Italy cleared the way on Wednesday to build the world's largest suspension bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive 13.5 billion euro ($24 billion) infrastructure project that has been long delayed by debates over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the spectre of mafia interference. The Strait of Messina Bridge will be "the biggest infrastructure project in the West," Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome, after an interministerial committee with oversight of strategic public investments approved the project. Salvini cited studies showing the project will create 120,000 jobs a year and accelerate growth in economically lagging southern Italy, as billions more in investments are made in roads and other infrastructure projects accompanying the bridge. Artist impression of the Strait of Messina Bridge from the Calabrian coast (WeBuild) Preliminary work could begin between late September and early October, once Italy's court of audit signs off, with construction expected to start next year. Despite bureaucratic delays, the bridge is expected to be completed between 2032-2033, Salvini said. The Strait of Messina Bridge has been approved and canceled multiple times since the Italian government first solicited proposals in 1969. Premier Giorgia Meloni's administration revived the project in 2023, and this marks the furthest stage the ambitious project— first envisioned by the Romans — has ever reached. "From a technical standpoint, it's an absolutely fascinating engineering project,'' Salvini said. The Strait of Messina Bridge would measure nearly 3.7 kilometres, with the suspended span reaching 3.3 kilometres, surpassing Turkey's Canakkale Bridge, currently the longest, by 1277 metres. Artist impression of the Strait of Messina Bridge from the Calabrian coast (WeBuild) With three car lanes in each direction flanked by a double-track railway, the bridge would have the capacity to carry 6000 cars an hour and 200 trains a day — reducing the time to cross the strait by ferry from up to 100 minutes to 10 minutes by car. Trains will also save transit time, Salvini said. The project could provide a boost to Italy's commitment to raise defense spending to 5 per cent of GDP targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defence-related, helping it to meet a 1.5 per cent security component. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment to NATO's southern flanks, qualifying it as a "security-enhancing infrastructure." Salvini confirmed the intention to classify the project as dual use, but said that was up to Italy's defence and economic ministers. A group of more than 600 professors and researchers signed a letter earlier this summer opposing the military classification, noting that such a move would require additional assessments to see if it could withstand military use. Opponents also say the designation would potentially make the bridge a target. Environmental groups have lodged complaints with the EU, citing concerns that the project will impact migratory birds, noting that environmental studies had not demonstrated that the project is a public imperative and that any environmental damage would be offset. The original government decree reactivating the bridge project included language giving the Interior Ministry control over anti-mafia measures. But Italy's president insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects in Italy out of concerns that the ad-hoc arrangement would weaken controls. Salvini pledged that keeping organised crime out of the project was top priority, saying it would adhere to the same protocols used for the Expo 2015 World's Fair and the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. "We need to pay attention so that the entire supply chain is impermeable to bad actors,'' he said. The project has been awarded to a consortium led by WeBuild, an Italian infrastructure group that initially won the bid to build the bridge in 2006 before it was later cancelled. WeBuild constructed the Canakkale Bridge using the engineering model originally devised for the Messina bridge. It includes a wing profile and a deck shape that resembles a fighter jet fuselage with openings to allow wind to pass through the structure, according to WeBuild. Addressing concerns about building the bridge over the Messina fault, which triggered a deadly quake in 1908, WeBuild has emphasised that suspension bridges are structurally less vulnerable to seismic forces. It noted that such bridges have been built in seismically active areas, including Japan. Turkey and California. WeBuild CEO Pietro Salini said in a statement that the Strait of Messina Bridge "will be transformative for the whole country." CONTACT US

Kitten rescued from vehicle engine compartment
Kitten rescued from vehicle engine compartment

Perth Now

time10 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Kitten rescued from vehicle engine compartment

A kitten trapped in the engine compartment of a vehicle has been rescued. At 9.04am on Monday (04.08.25), crews from Escambia County Fire Rescue's (ECFR) Engine 1 and Logistics 1 scrambled to the 300 block in Loveland Circle, Pensacola, Florida, USA, where they found the small feline stuck inside the section of the motor. Firefighters removed "several skid plates" underneath the vehicle so they could access the kitten. The little animal was removed "unharmed" and was "placed into the care" of an ECFR firefighter's family member. Captioning a photo of the kitten, which was posted to ECFR's Instagram account on Tuesday (05.08.25), ECFR wrote: "KITTEN RESCUE ON MONDAY, AUG. 4 "At 9:04 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4, Escambia County Fire Rescue's Engine 1 and Logistics 1 were dispatched to a small animal rescue at the 300 block of Loveland Circle. "Soon after arrival, a small kitten was found stuck in the engine compartment of a vehicle. "Firefighters removed several skid plates from beneath the vehicle to make access to the kitten. "The kitten was removed unharmed. The kitten was placed into the care of a family member of an ECFR firefighter. "Great work by the crew of Engine 1 and Logistics 1!"

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store