Alexandre
Yesterday we reported on the Ferrari's good 3rd quarter 2023 figures. Among the information, one caught our eye, Ferrari has announced that for the first time it has delivered more hybrid models than 100 thermal %s..
Electrification is something that affects all automakers. While some still seem to be struggling with the subject, Ferrari, on the other hand, is leading the way.
Indeed, by launching some very good products than the SF90 Stradale and SF90 Spider with their 1000 hp V8 PHEV engines and the 296 GTB and 296 GTS with the innovative 830 hp V6 PHEV, orders are coming in. These are high-performance cars, which can travel around 25 km on all-electric power and have very low co2 emissions, making them virtually exempt from any penalty.
Ferrari shows that it's possible, and that customers buy, because these 4 hybrid models will have accounted for 51 % of deliveries in Q3 2023. The 9 other 100 % thermal models therefore represent the remaining 49 % deliveries.
And the Italian brand has no intention of stopping there, as it confirmed at the presentation of the figures that the entire Ferrari range will make a gradual transition to hybrid powertrains and 100 electric %s.
"We are currently going through a period of structural increases in capital expenditure as we expand our automotive architectures, prioritize innovation and advanced technologies, and evolve our product portfolio towards hybrid and electric powertrains."
"We also continue to make significant investments in operating assets and infrastructure projects that are important to our continued growth and development, including the ongoing construction of our new e-building, which will be used primarily for the production of BEVs and related components."
As a reminder, Ferrari plans to complete the construction of its own battery factory in the summer of 2024, to present its first 100 % electric supercar in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Once again, it's R&D that brings profits, not inefficient economies of scale. But what the hell, when Stellantis is going to buy that damn V6 abandoned by Maserati and convert it to a hybrid... it's the last straw when you consider that it was used as a mule for the new V6's hybrid, and that it runs just as well on petrol as on diesel.
Have a good weekend.
Hybrid engines are perfectly acceptable for enthusiasts. All-electric is not!
The 296 GTB's V6 hybrid is a super engine, according to the critics.
But why doesn't Alfa Romeo follow Ferrari's example, by offering V6 hybrids, and 4-cylinder hybrids (there are those on the Tonale with the 280 hp and 190 hp PHEVs, but these are 1.3 L engines).
4-cylinders are an engine for generalists and sport-lighters like Abarth, but not for brands like Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati. As long as some people stubbornly continue to believe that compact 4-cylinder products and volume are good for these 3 brands, the descent into hell will be inevitable. It's been going on for decades, but people still don't get it.
There were lots of Alfa Romeo 4-cylinders that were very good, with character. Twin Spark engines, for example, or even 1750 tbi engines.
It's obviously not as good as the V6s, but it has its place at Alfa.
Except that you're talking about a time when vehicles were downright lighter. Those days are gone, and we've seen Alfa's latest 4-cylinder, which looks more like a diesel without the airiness of a Balbiero or a Twin Spark, and even the Twin Spark's evolution was a total failure. To return to the class of exceptional cars, these 3 brands absolutely must go back to the V6 hybrid and limit sales!
You can't attract big fish with a tiny maggot.
You're also talking about a time when people knew how to drive naturally-aspirated engines! Today's petrol engines are all diesel engines with turbochargers for torque at low revs. When I read some tests on older cars with atmo engines, they complain about the lack of power at low revs...
Just compare the 2.0 Twin Spark with the GT's 2.0 JTS, and you've gone from a great engine to one that just doesn't hold up. Even the 1.8 Twin Spark is more lively and pleasant, and once converted to the 2.0 is capable of 10,000rpm and 275hp and 260Nm at 7,000rpm, whereas the JTS tends to give up after 5,000km with just 200hp at 8,000rpm!
No, because Honda will show me where the K20C or K24C are diesel engines. What's more, a lot of them show that it's possible to get out of V6, V8, V10 and V12 engines that are supercharged and go high in the revs! It's not for nothing that many people take their 4Cs back to Scara, Romeo Ferraris, Pogea or others to prepare the engine for 7500rpm or even 8000rpm.
I didn't know many people who complained about having to have torque in the revs (apart from some amateur journalists in France) because it brings a considerable advantage. When you need to run at legal speeds, you've got enough torque (even for a rotary piston engine) to cruise, and when you need to put on the rubber, you just have to accelerate without spending your time playing with the gearbox!
What's more, many people adapt or used to adapt a compressor to their naturally-aspirated engine, as this gives the impression of having a huge, continuously-aspirated engine.
All 4-cylinder engines have been turbocharged for some time now, to boost power and torque. It's no doubt a pity when you've known engines without turbo, with less torque but more character.
As for the Twin Spark's evolution into a JTS, I couldn't agree more.
The advantage of the compressor is precisely that it makes torque available instantly, without sacrificing revs. Don't forget that, at the time, naturally-aspirated engines weren't used at more than 40% of their capacity, "supposedly for reliability reasons", but once the engine was unbridled, the car was totally different, especially if you increased the cubic capacity, which made for real little monsters, and often required increased body rigidity.
Alexandre
I hope you get the chance one day to drive the same Quattroporte GTS you have with a Novitec compressor preparation with a compressor. You'll see how much it pushes from A to Z without ever sacrificing revs.
When you see the Tonales' sales... you already know it's a failure, and not at all the kind of product expected by customers who can afford to invest in a diabolical Italian.
It's far too early to speak of the Tonale's success or failure. Sales have been pretty good so far.
The Tonale may not be for Alfa Romeo purists, but I don't think this model is unworthy of the brand.
For the moment, we're nowhere near the expected results and the fact that it's in direct competition with the Hornet in the USA, a vital market for Alfa.
That's why it would have been better to sell it under the Abarth name and abandon the project. 280hp is more in keeping with Alfa, but more for Abarth or Fiat, because when you see that Peugeot has more displacement or hp, if that's not a problem for some, for others, including me, it's totally incoherent.