look likes a sucesor of f355 spider

but i prefer the f355 spider

ok i know the pic is not in this thread but go look up the side view pic with the top up. Doesnt it remind you of a 308/328, like from the rear to almost all the way to the front, and more the upper half of the car. Its gorgeous i love the roofline. I dont know how to attach pics ( i dont know why there just insnt an attach button).

Ferrari to spin off Maserati for IPO
 

Ferrari to spin off Maserati for IPO

TURIN -- Hoping to improve its balance sheet, sports car maker Ferrari is expected to approve Monday the spin-off of its loss-making Maserati luxury sports car subsidiary to Fiat group.

The move is seen as a preliminary step toward an initial public offering of Ferrari shares later this spring.

Ferrari's IPO has been rumored for years, but chronic losses at Maserati have forced a delay in the company's plans to go public.

Fiat group controls 56 percent of Ferrari S.p.A., which in turn owns 100 percent of Maserati.

Terms of the planned sale aren't available, but Fiat group is expected to pay Ferrari in cash for Maserati.

Ferrari originally paid 15.4 million euros for Maserati when it bought the company from Fiat in a transaction completed in November, 1999.

Maserati had been in the red since Fiat bought it from Alejandro De Tomaso in January, 1990.

In 2004, Ferrari-Maserati production surpassed 9,500 units, boosting revenues to 1.5 billion euros. That was up almost 20 percent from 1.26 billion euros in 2003.

Ferrari-Maserati lost 57 million euros in the first nine months of 2004, mainly due to the strong euro and heavy investments in Maserati. The combined company hopes to break even for the full year 2004. In 2003, it reported a 32 million euro operating profit.

Though Ferrari doesn't break out Maserati results, it is clear that, without Maserati, Ferrari would show a substantial profit.

For Ferrari, 2004 was a record in terms of production: It built more than 4,900 units, up from a 1992 record production of more than 4,400.

Maserati production rose almost 60 percent to 4,600 units, a level which doesn't allow it to break event yet. The company made substantial investments to launch two new models last year, the new Quattroporte sporty sedan and the MC12 limited-edition supercar.

By Luca Ciferri
Automotive News Europe / January 31, 2005

ok i dont get this, Ferrari wants to sell Maserati. First it says Maserati made record sales, then it said they lost money, then it says they made profit, its all over the place i dont understand this article one bit. I hear sooo much good stuff bout Maserati and how there doing really well.

ok, ill see if i can clear that up for you a bit, dons5

in 2003, combined ferrari maserati made a profit of 32 million euros
in the first 3 quarters of 2004, the combination was at a loss, and hoped to break even by the end of the 4th quarter.

2004 had record numbers for production, for both ferrari and maserati 4900, and 4600 respectively... but maserati failed to sell the 'break even' number, which would be ofset the cost of production, and overhead. where ferrari is said to be profitable.... so the combined ferrari/maserati profit would be close to break-even this year.

by launching 1.x cars this year, research/devel, and costs of bringing to market are high... i wouldn't doubt maserati hope the quatroporte sells well next year.

make more sense?

i hear VW wants Maserati for the Phaethon so this would be a good oppurtunity for VW if Ferrari does sell it i bet that VW will buy it!

I thought VW wanted it for the rear drive platform of the quattroporte, and maserati wants VW for a modern six-speed auto for, yup, the quattroporte. also, maserati is looking into audi's aluminum and quattro technology.

but i just dont get it, i always hear that Maserati is doing soo good

i dunno, im just sayin what ive heard and read.

^^ same here its all about the Quattroporte

ya i dunno thats really weird and such a shock

Nope, they're not. They're better than before, but the Coupe/Spider sales are far from brilliant. The Quattroporte is selling well tough... But like the others said, it's still not enough to cover the costs.
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Autocar (c)

The end of Ferrari as we know it?

Ferrari is pondering a product revolution and has asked four of the worlds’ most respected car design schools to come up with some radical ideas. Britain’s Coventry School of Art and Design is one of the institutes selected, along with Pasadena’s Art Centre, the European Institute of Design in Turin and the Tokyo Communication Arts School. Coventry students have already met up in the UK with Frank Stephenson, Ferrari-Maserati’s design chief.

Ferrari’s brief for the students involved poses a profound choice for the company: ‘Should Ferrari continue to develop its new products along the same lines [as the current front and mid-engine range] or can new automotive concepts…be proposed?’ Ferrari specifically excludes proposals for ‘special models’ (F50, Enzo right) but wants ideas for new types that could be added to the current line-up or even replace the existing range.

yes i read that, Ferrari arent doing that cause they need to do it, or cause they are desperate or whatever liek this stupid articvle makes it seem. They are just doing it because well why not? Why only stick to a select group of ideas when u can have a bunch of ppls ideas it doesnt hurt.

^^ Yes, those are only style exercises, prototypes maybe, and not new models as the article wants to show.

The 612 to get an optional handling pack

Specs as follows :

Brembo composite-brakes "Carbo-Ceramica": front 380*36mm, rear 360*34mm
Sport setup
Improved F1 gearshift
19" modular and spotted rims
sport exhaust