Latest news with #FerrariRoma
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2026 Ferrari EV SUV Is an Exclusive Electric Car Worth Waiting For
The Ferrari EV marks the start of a new era for the famous Italian automaker. While the legendary manufacturer has no plans to let its combustion engines die out, Ferrari will still join the rest of the world's transition towards EVs by launching its first purely electric model. The company hasn't given many details on the new car yet, aside from a sly comment that it won't be entirely silent, simply because electric motors make noise, though not as much a shrieking V-12. With Ferrari planning to sell V-12 engines until they're banned, they'll need an electric car or two on hand to keep various regulatory bodies at bay. Ferrari has remained tight-lipped thus far about the platform underpinning its first EV, but it will likely be bespoke to this vehicle. Spy shots have shown mules wearing what looks like modified Maserati Levante bodywork and Ferrari Roma headlights, suggesting its shape will blur the lines between a sports car and an SUV. Regardless of how high the Ferrari EV rides, there should be enough room for four passengers. The automaker will build the model at a new "E-building" located just north of its Maranello campus. The new building will reportedly allow Ferrari to boost yearly production by roughly 6000 units and build EVs on the same assembly line as hybrid and combustion-only models. The only thing we know for certain about the Ferrari EV's powertrain is that the automaker plans to build as many of the car's components as possible in-house, including the motors and high-voltage batteries. Ferrari has shrugged off suggestions that it will use artificial noises to enhance driver engagement, leading us to believe it will instead boost the noise of the EV motors via in-cabin speakers. Ferrari will employ know-how gleaned from its two plug-in hybrid models, the SF90 Stradale and 296 GTB, for its e-motors and powertrain control systems. There aren't many competitors in the class yet, but EVs like the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore and the Rolls-Royce Spectre could be seen as challengers, despite their differing missions. Depending on the level of the Ferrari EV's performance, it could even challenge electric supercars such as the Rimac Nevera. Ferrari's biggest hurdle will be convincing customers that there is still value in purchasing an electric car at such a high price point. Having the most iconic badge in the industry should help keep the lights on, though. Ferrari will reveal its first EV on October 9, 2025. We expect the new car to go on sale in early 2026 with a starting price north of $500,000. See all the cars worth waiting for You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ferrari Roma M Set for Global Debut on July 1, Promises Refined Design
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector Ferrari is preparing to reveal the Roma M, the much-anticipated successor to its acclaimed grand tourer, on July 1, 2025. The updated model, expected to retain the sleek and sophisticated styling of the original Ferrari Roma, will introduce a range of design refinements and technological upgrades while maintaining the brand's signature balance of luxury and performance. While Ferrari has yet to release full specifications, the Roma M (Modificata) is expected to feature reshaped headlamps and taillights, redesigned wheels, and other minor aesthetic updates. The overall body lines are likely to remain true to the original Roma's flowing silhouette, which has drawn praise for its retro-inspired yet modern approach to Ferrari's design language. Inside, the Roma M is anticipated to receive the latest in Ferrari's digital cockpit technology, including a revised infotainment interface, improved driver assistance features, and possibly a new steering wheel design. Ferrari's recent emphasis on seamless integration between analog driving pleasure and digital advancements suggests that the Roma M will offer a more intuitive and connected driving experience. Under the hood, the Roma M is likely to retain the twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 engine, but industry speculation suggests Ferrari could tweak the power output slightly beyond the 620 horsepower currently produced by the outgoing model. The engine will continue to be paired with Ferrari's eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, ensuring rapid shifts and smooth power delivery. The Roma M will be offered in both Coupe and Spider body styles, broadening its appeal to enthusiasts who favor either a fixed-roof grand tourer or an open-top driving experience. As Ferrari's designated entry-level model, the Roma has been pivotal in attracting new customers to the brand. The introduction of the Roma M underscores Ferrari's commitment to refining its GT lineup while maintaining its core values of performance, elegance, and exclusivity. Further details on pricing, performance figures, and availability will be announced at the official debut event on July 1. Source: @liucunyi_starandcar Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A once-hot startup got a $1.5 billion loan. More than $500 million went to a high school dropout's 'sham' hedge fund, judge rules.
Byju's was once India's hottest startup, with a lineup of top global debt and equity investors. A judge ruled that Byju's-related entities had fraudulently transferred over $500 million to a "sham" hedge fund. The money is still missing. Call it the case of the vanishing half a billion dollars. During the pandemic-era startup funding boom, the education technology company Byju's raised money from some of the biggest names in global investing. At its peak, the Bengaluru-based company was valued at $22 billion, making it the most valuable startup in India. But last week, a US judge ruled that entities associated with Byju's had fraudulently transferred over $500 million to a group the judge deemed a "sham." The summary judgment in Delaware bankruptcy court, released on Thursday, advances the lenders' yearslong search for the missing money. Judge John T. Dorsey ruled against Riju Ravindran — a former Byju's board member and the founder's brother — and entities related to the company, including a hedge fund founded by a 23-year-old high school dropout. Dorsey found the $533 million was fraudulently transferred to what he called a "high-risk and unproven hedge fund." It had few other investors, a high fee structure, and, at one point, a Miami IHOP headquarters address with a non-working phone, per court documents. The ruling opens the door for damages — with a hearing about specifics still to be scheduled — and for the lenders to try to recover some of that money. In November 2021, after equity fundraising from BlackRock, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, and other power players, Byju's set up a special financing vehicle with $1.2 billion from top private lenders, including Ares Management and HPS Investment Partners. Led by the media-hungry founder Byju Raveendran, Byju's expanded quickly by snapping up other companies. Months after the lenders' money came in and without their knowledge, Ravindran transferred $533 million to a tiny hedge fund called Camshaft Capital, per Thursday's summary judgement. The fund was run by a portfolio manager named William Morton, who the lenders said in a complaint had no investment experience. The lenders' complaint said last year that Morton had recently bought three luxury cars: a 2023 Ferrari Roma, a 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO, and a 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith. Ravindran's attorneys told the Delaware bankruptcy court that he moved the money to Camshaft because "Byju's felt the need to protect the cash." Ravindran said in sworn testimony that he had never heard of Camshaft before April 2022 and that he did no diligence prior to the transfers. Dorsey wrote in the summary judgment that Camshaft should have spotted "numerous red flags" pointing to the transactions' "fraudulent purpose." Camshaft then lent the money to a British company in a deal done without the lenders' approval, wrote Dorsey. The lenders have yet to trace the money, despite extensive efforts detailed in court documents. Last week's lawsuit is just one part of Byju's winding saga, which stretches across continents and involves more than a dozen lawsuits. While the level of funding Byju's commanded during its heyday sets it apart from the ed-tech competition, the company is part of a wave of global startups that picked up significant funding during the pandemic. At the time, investors scrambled to back companies amid record low interest rates. Now, lower valuations in a much different market threaten those good-times investments. After negotiations with Byju's fell apart over missed interest payments and other issues, the lenders put the special financing vehicle through involuntary bankruptcy. They appointed Timothy Pohl, a restructuring veteran, to manage the company and unravel the key mystery: the money's trail. But even after Pohl took over as the sole manager in March 2023, Ravindran continued to move money out, Dorsey wrote in Thursday's summary judgement. In May 2023, Raveendran told an advisor to the lenders that the money had gone "someplace the Lenders will never find it," the advisor later wrote in a declaration. So far, legal proceedings have offered few clues about the missing $533 million. Morton and his fund were held in contempt of court last year for failure to cooperate with discovery. He told The Wall Street Journal last spring that he had fled the US with no plans to return — and that Camshaft is not a sham. Raveendran and Ravindran are last known to be living in Dubai. Ravindran was also held in contempt of court last year. The lenders said in a statement on Friday that they see the ruling as a "significant step forward" in their recovery efforts. "We are gratified the Court unequivocally recognized that Riju Ravindran, Camshaft, and BYJU's together conducted a deliberate fraud on a global scale arising from the theft of $533 million," the lenders said in the statement. Byju's is still operating, but the company faces significant turmoil beyond the US bankruptcy case. BlackRock and at least one other equity investor have written off the value of their investments. BlackRock and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative did not respond to Business Insider's requests for comment, nor did Byju's. Lawyers for Morton and Ravindran did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Morton or Raveendran. Ravindran could not be located for comment. Raveendran wrote on LinkedIn on Friday and again on Monday that he would rebuild the company. "I will keep on keeping on. Till the wrongs are righted, and the mistakes are corrected," he posted on Monday. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at mmorris@ or Signal or Telegram at +1 646 768 1627. 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Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ferrari Roma
God bless whoever was brave enough to ask the question at the end of the monthly Ferrari 'town hall' meeting concerning exactly why it is that the company doesn't make a car like the much-loved, big-selling Ferrari 550 Maranello anymore. Surely that must have been how the new Ferrari Roma came into being - not that the company is letting on. The 550 was one of Ferrari's modern high watermarks for front-engined GTs. Smart-looking, usable, soulful, fast, involving and, most of all, really well sorted for the road, it was followed up by increasingly wild and expensive front-engined, twelve-cylinder successors that incrementally became less and less about everyday usability and accessible handling appeal and more and more about outright pace, grip, noise and lurid performance thrills as the years passed. The void that strategic shift left in the Ferrari model range has evidently taken some time to become apparent to the company, but we'll let them off on that score. It was a bit of a mental leap to invoke the spirit of a car like the 550, not to mention so many other of the company's V12 grand touring greats of the 1950s and 1960s, with a reimagined fixed-head version of the turbo V8-powered Ferrari Portofino M – itself not the most revered of modern Ferraris, after all. And yet what the related Roma proves is how much can be achieved through a handful of very well-chosen technical changes. The car has quite a rich and ritzy new-generation cockpit, too. And last but by no means least, it might be the most dazzling achievement yet of Ferrari's own in-house Centro Stile design department. It's an important new model addition, this – and not just for Ferrari, but with implications for the whole of its segment. The Roma is probably the best-looking new normal-series-production Ferrari since the Ferrari 458 Italia, possibly even since the F355. It has sublime proportions, some beautifully pristine surfaces and just a hint of visual menace about it. Some lovely detailing, too. The way the carbonfibre skirts and front splitter echo the shape of the bodywork above them, almost like a reflection in millpond-smooth water, is very clever indeed. Ferrari does admit that, under the skin, the Roma's all-aluminium chassis and body-in-white share a fair bit with the Portofino. The firm's claim is that, in those two areas combined, the Roma is 70% new, although I suspect that's 70% by individually itemised components, not by volume or weight. Sure enough, if you compare the technical dimensions of the car with those of the Portofino, you'll quickly see that the two wheelbases are identical. The Roma's roof height is significantly lower, however, and its body and axles wider. At the same time, some of the new and repositioned mechanicals of the Roma's driveline have helped deliver it a centre of gravity some 20mm lower than that of the related hard-top convertible. It's also nearly 100kg lighter. Since we originally tested the Roma, the Portofino has been replaced by the Ferrari Roma Spider. Good decision. The Roma is a 2+2 (something the celebrated 550 Maranello wasn't) with a bold and quite lavish interior very much intended to make inroads into the customer bases of the likes of Audi, Mercedes-AMG and even Bentley. The Roma's back seats are usable only for smaller adults and kids, but it has a boot big enough for a couple of small flight cases and that even offers some through-loading space for longer loads. The seats are soft, easily berthed and comfortable over distance, and its infotainment technology is new also. The footrest in the footwell is too close though which is uncomfortable on longer journeys. The Roma inherits its dual-screen 'human-machine interface' - which, in this instance, means a digital instrument screen and a portrait-oriented infotainment screen - from the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. The 16in instrument screen is controlled via a haptic thumbpad on one of the spokes of the new steering wheel. The new wheel hub design consolidates and simplifies some secondary controls and moves others from the front of the wheel to the back so that it looks less cluttered. You control the window wipers through a little knob rather than a rocker switch, for example, which does make life easier. Although other functions are operated via capacitive touch-sensitive switches, rather than physical buttons, which are only lit and 'active' at certain times and didn't make life easier for this tester. The Roma is powered by much the same 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 that powers the Portofino and the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T, although some new cams and cleverer turbo controls allow it to make 20bhp more peak power than in the Portofino, as well as a slightly broader spread of peak torque. In the exhaust, Ferrari has added gas particulate filters but removed the Portofino's conventional silencers, adopting a new bypass system that helps regulate and control the overall noise level instead. Downstream of the engine, there's an eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle gearbox derived from the one on the SF90 plug-in hybrid supercar, which has a broader spread of ratios than the Portofino's seven-speeder and sits lower in the rear of the car. Downstream farther still, the Roma gets Ferrari's torque-vectoring e-differential as standard, as well as its very latest Side Slip Control 6.0 and Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer electronic torque vectoring systems. The Roma makes a much better first impression than either the Portofino or its related California predecessor ever managed. It feels lighter and leaner than so many sporting GTs, both under power and on turn-in. And it sounds the part, too: not exactly sweet or woofling but as musical as you can imagine a turbo V8 with a flat-plane crank really getting and full of brassy, tremulous, likeably genuine audible character. ]]>
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ferrari Confirms First Electric Vehicle Reveal on October 9
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector Ferrari has officially confirmed that its first electric vehicle will be unveiled on October 9, 2025. The announcement was made by CEO Benedetto Vigna during the release of the company's 2024 financial results. This marks a significant milestone for the iconic brand, which has long been associated with high-performance internal combustion engines but is now moving towards an electric future. While Ferrari has remained tight-lipped about the specifics of the new EV, Vigna emphasized that the car will maintain the brand's legendary performance, saying it will be 'a true Ferrari' in every aspect. The car is expected to offer a unique and innovative design that stays true to Ferrari's heritage while integrating cutting-edge electric technology. Prototypes of the EV have already been spotted undergoing testing around Maranello, with early mules featuring a Maserati Levante body, headlights from the Ferrari Roma, and wheels designed specifically for electric vehicles. The Ferrari EV is part of the company's larger plan to introduce six new models in 2025. While details about the other models remain speculative, it's widely believed that the lineup will include a facelifted 296 GTB (the 296 VS), a new version of the SF90 (SF90 M), and an updated Roma. Ferrari's shift towards electrification has garnered significant attention, and this first EV promises to be a game-changer for the brand as it embraces the future of high-performance cars. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
