Ferrari hits global sales turbo

RECESSION-mired Italy might be “distinctly hostile” for Ferrari, but the rest of the world is still head over heels for its iconic sportscars.

The Fiat flagship subsidiary posted a record 7318 car sales globally in 2012 – up 4.5 per cent on 2011 – while also driving up Ferrari net profit by 17.8 per cent, to a record €244 million ($A315m).

Sales in Italy last year fell 46 per cent to just 318 cars – fewer than Switzerland’s 357 units – prompting Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo to describe the Italian economic situation as a “distinctly hostile one”.

But Ferrari indicated that it got off lightly in its homeland, with the premium sports segment in general down 60 per cent on 2011.

Australia was also a poor market for the Prancing Horse brand, with sales down 26.9 per cent to just 98 units while arch-rival Lamborghini rose 28.1 per cent to 41 units.

Other markets such as North America and China gobbled up ever-larger quantities of Ferraris, with sales in the United States and Canada topping 2000 cars for the first time, rising 14.6 per cent to 2058 units last year.

Almost 500 Ferraris were sold in China, with Hong Kong and Taiwan taking sales in the region to 784 units – up 4.0 per cent.

Even in recession-bound Europe, Ferrari had the sales afterburners alight in the biggest markets, with sales in German up 8.2 per cent to 750 units and British deliveries soaring 20 per cent to 673 cars.

The Middle East and Africa accounted for 556 sales – up 4.5 per cent – while sales in Japan hit 302 vehicles, up 14 per cent.

Mr di Montezemolo said the company was proud to have recorded such results against an unfavourable economic backdrop in many European nations.

“The credit for this goes to the men and women in Ferrari, the strength of the brand, a very complete and highly innovative range, and our gradual expansion into automotive markets worldwide,” he said.

Ferrari continued to milk its brand equity – regarded as one of the strongest in the world – with the value of licensed products soaring 40 per cent year on year to more than €50 million ($64m).

Helped by its 10 million Facebook fans, Ferrari’s E-commerce revenues jumped 31 per cent to €7 million ($9m).

All up, Ferrari turnover lifted 8.0 per cent, to a record €2.4 billion ($A3.1b).