News January 11 2006

Ferrari 2006 – sales up, races won

Ferrari has announced at the Detroit motor show that it delivered 5,658 cars in 2006, a 5% increase on 2005, a sales success matched in Australia and New Zealand, where Ferrari delivered more than 100 cars in a 12 month period for the first time.

In the US and Canada 2006 was the 14th consecutive year of increasing sales with 1,635 cars sold - a 5.5% increase versus 2005. North America is the most important market for Ferrari, representing approximately 30% of the marque's worldwide sales. The Ferrari dealer network is comprised of 36 dealers (32 in the United States, four in Canada) in North America (Ferrari is represented by one authorized dealer in metro Detroit; Cauley Ferrari in West Bloomfield).

Central and South America was responsible for approximately 115 sales, compared to approximately 100 in 2005. With a total of nine dealers in the region, Ferrari is represented at three outlets in Mexico including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterey. In Brazil, there is an authorized dealer in Sao Paolo. There are also dealerships in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile.

Global revenues and trading profit are expected to increase slightly compared to 2005. In 2006, Fiat raised its interest in Ferrari up to 85%, Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi investment fund, maintained a 5% stake, while Piero Ferrari holds 10%.

Ferrari’s latest model, the 599 GTB Fiorano, has garnered awards from British car magazines Evo ("2006 Evo Car of the Year") and Top Gear ("2006 Top Gear Supercar of the Year"). Classicdriver.com (see the ItalianCar Links section) has chosen the 599 GTB Fiorano as its "Car of the Year 2006". In the United States, Edmunds.com voted the car "Editors Most Wanted Exotic".

Ferrari continues to develop merchandise in conjunction with various other companies - Panerai luxury watches, Marcolin eyewear, and Microsoft and Sony for video games. It also continues to expand with a significant series of openings around the world in 2007: at the beginning of the year, a new Ferrari store will open in Beijing, followed by a Los Angeles boutique, set to open at the Beverly Center.

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Motor Racing in 2006

American Le Mans Series

Risi Competizione won the 2006 American Le Mans Series Team Championship. The combined efforts of Ferrari North America dealers Giuseppi Risi of Ferrari of Houston, Remo Ferri of Remo Ferri Competizione, Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo of Ferrari of Silicon Valley led to this historic victory at Laguna Seca in last October. Facing stiff competition from Porsche during the season, the team captured seven poles, six fastest laps and won four races.

The F430 GT runs in the GT2 class and it is derived from the road-going berlinetta which has proved an excellent starting point for the "racing" project. It also secured for Ferrari the 2006 FIA Constructors Cup in the category thanks to the results obtained by the private teams that entered the F430 GT with noteworthy victories such as that in the Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours in Belgium.

The Ferrari Challenge

The 2006 champion is Emmanuel Anassis - his third consecutive championship in the North American Ferrari Challenge Series. 2006 was one of the most successful year yet for the Ferrari Challenge with an average of 28 competitors filling the grid for each race.

2007 will mark the 14th consecutive year of the Ferrari Challenge in North America. This series has established itself as one of the most respected and professional Gentleman's Racing Series in the world of automobile competition.

In 2007, the F430 Challenge will replace the 360 Challenge with which it ran concurrently in 2006. The 8-cylinder berlinetta-derived F430 Challenge competition car retains the same general look and 479 hp engine as the road going version while incorporating a large number of significant track-oriented modifications and a host of new features not seen in the 360 Challenge car.

In 2007 the Ferrari Challenge racing series in North America will see six events scheduled throughout the year and a final event hosted in Italy in October to wrap up the season with two days of racing with participants from all over the world. The provisional North American calendar will kick-off with the first race at the Homestead Miami Speedway in March. Races will follow at Infineon Raceway in Northern California in April, in Montreal in support of the Formula One race in early June, and at Mt. Tremblant, Canada in late June. Two additional race venues will be announced soon.

For the 11th consecutive season, in 2007 the Shell Historic Challenge will see historic Ferrari and Maserati racing cars at some of the most prestigious American and Canadian racetracks. There are five events scheduled for 2007, four of them concurrent with Challenge races. The final schedule will be announced soon.

© italiancar.net 11/1/07