Ferrari has already managed to curb its CO2 emissions by almost 40 percent since 2007, back when its cars were averaging about 435 grams per kilometer as opposed to the current rate of about 270 g/km, but the Italian automaker isn’t applying the brakes just yet. A senior Ferrari exec says the marque’s lineup should see average CO2 reduced by a further 20 percent by 2021, thanks to turbocharging and hybrid technologies.
"Our average CO2 emissions are currently about 270 grams of CO2 per kilometre,” Ferrari powertrain director Vittorio Dini told Automotive News (subscription required). “We want to use all the available technologies to reduce emissions by 3 percent each year, which means approximately a 20 percent decrease by 2021."
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To achieve this, without hurting the performance of its lineup, Ferrari will slowly add turbochargers to all of its V-8 models and hybrid systems on all of its V-12s. As we’ve previously reported, Ferrari has no plans to adopt engines with fewer than eight cylinders.
We’ve already seen the new strategy with the company’s California T and LaFerrari bookend models, and soon other models will be transformed. Next in the line is expected to be 458, which will likely adopt a version of the California T’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 as part of its mid-cycle update in 2015.
As Automotive News points out, Ferrari is treated as a standalone company when it comes to meeting CO2 emissions standards, even though it is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. This is because it has its own headquarters and research facilities and remains largely independent. However, since it only produces 7,000 cars per year, Ferrari has some leeway when negotiating targets with regulators.
"What is important is that Ferrari achieves the same percentage reduction trend as volume automakers," Dini explained.
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