“Ferrari to bring a taste of Maranello to India for their clients in the coming months” says Aayush Tiwari, Head of Customer Experience, Ferrari.

Ferrari unveiled their new 849 Testarossa for the Indian market. The 849 Testarossa pays homage to the original Testarossa in terms of design and driving dynamics. The 849 Testarossa boasts a 4-litre V8 engine which is paired with two electric motors. We spoke to Ferrari about their future plans, what’s in store for the Indian market and how Indians have been their best customers even outside of India.

On Ferrari’s presence in the Indian market

When asked about what Ferrari sees with their future in India, Francesco Bianchi, Head of Far & Middle East Hub said, “We perceive really that there is a perfect fit between Ferrari and what this country considers important. On top, I think that it's a very interesting moment for India. India is growing dramatically, not only in wealth perspective, but also in the attention of the world. This is extremely positive because Ferrari is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful brand in the world. Many of our collectors in the UK, Dubai, in the United States, and even in India, are Indians. Because as soon as they decide their willingness to enter in connection with Ferrari, it creates an immediate bonding. We speak the same language,” in terms of creativity.

We asked them about their personalisation programme and they said “Ferrari’s Tailor-Made personalisation programme has been one of the most successful programmes in India, and the attention of our clients on this specific part is unique and very strong. I sense that when a client in this country, with all the cultural background that they have, and with the possibility to really think without boundaries, they can be extremely, extremely creative. And we would love to help them to create their dream the best way. If I look at some of our best clients, even outside India, biggest collectors, most of them are Indian and are the ones that understand the value and the characteristics of Ferrari. We have at times brought in engineers from Maranello because we’re not able to answer some of their questions.You may know that one of the last one-offs of Ferrari xx, that is a unique car that we just delivered, went to an Indian client living in the United States.”

On electric cars being the future

On being asked about their thoughts on the future of cars being electric, they said, “We believe that the future is electric and we will come out with our future electric cars, but we don't believe it's the responsibility of a manufacturer to decide what the market or client should drive. That's why, since the very beginning, we have been clear in saying we will keep investing in the combustion engine, we will keep investing in the plug-in hybrid, and we will keep investing in the future, in the electric. Every single technology is able to achieve a different product positioning. If you want to achieve the best performance, you need to have a plug-in hybrid model. So, our most performing car, the Testarossa that you are seeing here, can achieve this performance because of the combination of the combustion and electric engine. They combine, they deliver something incredible. Our more usable car, less extreme, more to be shared with someone else. The Purosangue, the Amalfi, the 12-cylinder is a pure combustion engine. Because over there, we are not seeking the peak of the performance. Now, we come with the Luce, which is our first electric car, which is again opening another opportunity, another segment. The car doesn't have the engine, so you have more space on board. It's a car you can use with the family in different conditions.”

On the target audience of the Ferrari 849 Testarossa

During the interview, we asked what the clientele of the 849 Testarossa will be and they said “This car has a specific position in our product range, which is to show the technical capabilities of Ferrari, to achieve a level of performance, not only acceleration, that is easy to be done with every single car, but a combined experience, putting together everything.”

On Milestones that Ferrari is looking to achieve in the Indian market

When asked about their milestones which they want to achieve in the Indian market, they said “This is a year where we really want to establish the brand in the market.” They are going to be organizing events like the Universo Ferrari, whose objective they said is, “Basically to offer whoever comes to visit us the possibility to understand the brand at 360 degrees. So from basically our heritage and our history to all the different activities and areas of the brand that we develop, the track, the road, the experiences that we build, the classic, the tailor-made and all the personalisation.” We asked them about the future events that are going to be held for the media and the client base of Ferrari, they said “We're trying to bring Maranello in one specific location for all the enthusiasts, clients, and the family that we have here in India so they can come closer to what Ferrari is.”

On entering more cities with new touchpoints across India

We asked them about entering new cities and making Ferrari more reachable to the potential clients and they said, “Absolutely. We have done a very thorough study, and we got the analysis that basically developing the presence of the brand in India cannot be covered only with the presence in the top three, four cities that we have. We have already identified several spots that we want to consider, and we are working on developing the network of services and workshops.”

On opening more dealerships

Continuing on that we asked about opening more dealerships, they said, “The dealership is a different concept. Our distribution model basically separates us in two very clear ways of selling and giving assistance. Very frequently we might have the interest of having an official service somewhere that does not necessarily sell cars.”

On the after effects of the India-EU trade deal

On being asked about the demand and future of Ferrari after the India-EU trade deal, they said “We have chosen to be active and deliberate in this market before the FTA was even thought of. So, yes, for sure, it's going to be an important acceleration for our business here. But I think it's also an important acceleration for the country because not only for Ferrari, but everybody will have the possibility to enjoy certain goods, certain things, in a much more effective way.”

On how they are approaching growth here in the next few fiscals

When asked about how they plan to grow in India with it being a smaller market compared to the rest of the world, they said “A team is working together to support Aayush from Singapore, who is focussing on this market, supporting not only the sales part, but also the marketing activities. So all these functions now have India in the centre. We're already putting India in the centre of a dedicated team that we've never done in the past. And I do expect that also that would accelerate our result and our connection here with the market.”

On favourite driving roads in India

When asked which is the best place to enjoy a Ferrari in India, Enrico Galliera Chief Marketing & Commercial Office, said “There is a part of the country that I'm falling in love with, it's the Rajasthan area, which I believe is an incredible blend of tradition and values. There is everything there. There are incredible landscapes. And the roads are good. Very good.”

On more events and trackdays

Ferrari spokesperson also added to the topic above by saying “India is full of tracks, racing tracks. And they may not be all FIA homologated, but they are beautiful tracks. Sometimes clients feel like being in a place where they can push and really see how powerful what they've bought is. Track activities are also something that is part of our business model.”

On demand of the 849 Testarossa in India

When asked about what they feel about the demand of the 849 Testarossa, they said “We have already collected a lot of interest in the car. Of course, clients were waiting to see the car. So now that it is officially launched in the market, this will only confirm all the interest in a concrete way.”