Autocar August 14, 2019

WHILE FORD AND Ferrari are worlds apart in the cars they make, the challenges they face in needing to future-proof their businesses have a lot more in common. Ford chairman Bill Ford is as candid as they come about the challenges his company faces: the old way of doing business just won’t work for much longer. So, as Steve Cropley finds out in the most in-depth of looks at the present and future of Ford (p53), a complete reinvention of the company is needed for survival. Ford, in Europe in particular, has lacked the strength in depth in its product lines in recent years as others have innovated more. What emerges from Steve’s interviews is a real humility within the company and an openness to get on and make changes happen. Humility and…

“The challenge is to open a new segment for Ferrari. We always have very tight positioning” GOT A STORY? Email our news editor lawrence.allan@haymarket.com Ferrari is stepping up development of its eagerly anticipated SUV, which will push the brand in an entirely new direction for comfort, interior design, space and powertrain technology. Due in 2022 and being developed under the codename Purosangue, which translates as ‘thoroughbred’, the Ferrari SUV promises to be like no other performance or ultra-luxury SUV on the market thanks to positioning unique from the likes of the Aston Martin DBX, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The SUV, also known internally as ‘175’, is one of 15 new Ferraris announced last year and set to launch by 2023. They will be built off two bespoke architectures giving two distinct model…

“The idea is to combine the agility of the Pista with the comfort of the GTB”, says Ferrari test driver Fabrizio Toschi on the new F8 Tributo, the successor to the 488 GTB as Ferrari’s core mid-engined supercar. The F8 Tributo is the latest Ferrari in a series that can trace its roots back to the 458 Italia. This version adopts the most powerful V8 yet for a mid-engined series-production Ferrari by using a Pista-spec 710bhp 3.9-litre turbo. It can crack 0-62mph in 2.9sec and reach a top speed of 211mph – and we’ll drive it before the end of the month. For now, we join Toschi, a test driver at Ferrari for the past 13 years, in the passenger seat on the roads in the hills around Maranello as the F8…

Lamborghini Urus Perhaps the most similar car in concept to the high-riding Ferrari comes from its most noted Italian competitor, Lamborghini. The polarising Urus launched last year and has sold more than twice as much as any other Lambo so far this year – a fact that Ferrari cannot ignore. It features a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 putting out 641bhp, enough for 0-62mph in 3.6sec and a top speed of just under 190mph. Bentley Bentayga Speed Rival Rolls-Royce will be more aligned with the Ferrari in pricing terms with its Cullinan, but Bentley’s Bentayga SUV – particularly in Speed form – is a more natural rival. With a 626bhp twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 providing the propulsion and a lighter chassis honed for a more dynamic drive, it will also be Ferrari’s reference point for interior…

Last year Ferrari finally opened its own design centre, having for years seen design houses, most famously Pininfarina, lead the styling of its models. Ferrari head of design Flavio Manzoni has told Autocar that a large in-house team is now essential due to the complexity of the design process and the need for multiple designs to be integrated into architectures from the beginning. The days of a car maker supplying a chassis to a coachbuilder for styling are over. “One of the main reasons for an in-house design team was the growing complexity of our cars,” Manzoni said. “The technology and aerodynamic requirements grow day by day. Interaction is needed between the different areas. “Using the other system, you could not now conceive the shape of a new Ferrari on top of…

Mini plans to enter the shrinking market for small MPVs with a new electric model. It will be the brand’s most practical car yet, and it’s thought it will revive the Traveller name. The new Mini MPV has been conceived to appeal to family car buyers seeking greater levels of interior versatility and space than the existing Clubman and Countryman. It will be based on parent company BMW’s FAAR platform, which supports front- and four-wheel drive. There will be versions powered by internal combustion engines, a plug-in hybrid and, later in its seven-year life cycle, a battery-electric driveline in a Traveller SE model. It will rival the Volkswagen ID 3, which will be revealed next month. In pure-electric form, the new Mini model is set to be twinned with the successor to the…