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Ferrari CEO could retire Friday letting Marchionne step in

Rumors once again suggest that current Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa plans to retire from the role. Anonymous insiders tell Bloomberg that the announcement could come as soon as April 15, with an announcement at the company's upcoming investors meeting. Sergio Marchionne is the favorite to become the new CEO, the unnamed sources claim. Felisa would step down as CEO after Ferrari nominates its new board of directors, according to Bloomberg. He would likely retain a seat on the board and could still do some work at the company. Felisa joined the sports car maker in 1990 as director of product development. He replaced Jean Todt as CEO in 2008. Marchionne is already Ferrari's chairman, and taking on the CEO role in addition would give him greater control over the brand's future. Bloomberg's insiders note that Marchionne's takeover isn't final yet, and someone else could conceivably get the role. The sweater-wearing exec has a clear view for Ferrari's future, though. He plans to increase volume to around 10,000 vehicles a year, but he's staunchly against building an SUV or an EV. If he takes control, expect him to work out a plan to increase the Prancing Horse's share price. At its October IPO, the stock started at $52 a share; today it opened at $41.24. Rumors about this shift have been swirling for months. For example, reports from Italian media in June 2015 suggested Felisa would retire as CEO. Subsequent rumors claimed Marchionne was the frontrunner to take over the position. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

EV West launches monthly EV Show, starts with electric Ferrari project

The folks over at the EV West conversion shop are no strangers to video cameras, having put up a fair amount of footage on their YouTube channel over the years. Now though, they've decided to make their appearance on the web a more regular affair with the debut of the monthly EV Show. It aims, they say, to bring viewers the latest news in the electric vehicle industry, product information and a look at some of the projects they're working on. The outfit has had a hand in building and converting some notable vehicles in the past, but to kick off the new program, it's engaged in something special: the (re)making of an electric 1978 308 GTS Ferrari – a model made famous by its role in the Magnum P.I. television series. This particular vehicle had fallen victim to a fuel fire, though enough of the original non-necessary bits were in good enough condition to be sold off to help pay for part of the electro-restomod. After stripping the entire vehicle down, the build up will begin, and the components planned to bring this baby back to life are very interesting in their own right. For instance, the battery. Though the show hosts cagily don't mention the source of the pack, it's pretty clear it will be made of modules originally housed in a vehicle sporting a Tesla drivetrain (we suspect the 2nd-generation Smart ED.) The power will flow from these mystery batteries through a Rinehart controller and then on to a trio of chrome-plated, powder coated AC-51 motors from Hi Performance Electric Vehicle Systems housed in a custom bracket. The resulting configuration should be good for about 216 kW (290 horsepower) and 340 pound-feet of torque. You can keep up with this project and the many others the conversion shop has on the go by following them on Twitter and Facebook. The Ferrari project also has its own Instagram account. But first, check out the first episode of the EV Show by scrolling below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: YouTube Green Ferrari Green Culture Electric ev west electric ferrari

Ferrari supercar hybrid prototype chased down by fan

As discovered by Ferrari Chat and reported by Motor1, an Instagram user by the name Lambolife (@9000lambo) and a friend were out cruising in Europe when they ran across what looks like a Ferrari prototype, possibly a hybrid based on the F8 Tributo. The pair got the car on video as they were chasing it down the road and into a parking lot where the prototype driver tried to hide. Besides being amusing to watch the test driver trying desperately to keep the fans from seeing the car, we actually get a good glimpse at the vehicle. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Looking closely, the size and shape is very similar to the F8 Tributo, which is the latest evolution of the 488 GTB, and the 458 GTB before that. The shape of the rear spoiler and the edge of the front nose are particularly similar to the F8. But there are a couple differences, starting with the exhaust. On the regular car, the pipes are mounted low and set far apart. On this prototype, the pipes come out much higher up, and they're very close together. On top of that, you can just make out the triangular electrocution hazard sticker on one side of the car. This suggests it's a hybrid. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. A hybrid Ferrari similar to the F8 makes sense with other news we've heard recently. The company has confirmed it's working on hybrid drivetrains. Past reports say that one of them is a V6 hybrid with as much as 728 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque, and the other is a V8 hybrid with unknown performance, but most certainly greater than the V6. The first of the engines will be released in May, and since Ferrari's CEO said it will exceed the 812 Superfast, which makes 789 horsepower, that first engine will probably be the V8. This could be a prototype of Ferrari's soon-to-be-released V8 hybrid. It's also possible that this is simply a powertrain test mule, or a prototype for the V6 model coming later. At least we're half way through May, so we should have the answers to our questions very soon.