Marchionne wants to give Ferrari a new Dino with a mid-engined V6

The course of events has made it even clearer that there is an abyss between Luca di Montezemolo and Sergio Marchionne. Despite this, the new chairman of Ferrari, who combines the post with leadership of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will leave an indelible mark during his time at the Maranello manufacturer. His statements are no less controversial than those of his predecessor. The latest, made to the British magazine Autocar, will keep fans of the brand talking for a long time.

Marchionne plans to add a new vehicle to the Ferrari range that revives the Dino name. The decision, as he explained to Autocar, is firm, and the only thing left to determine is when it will be produced. The model will not be a modern reinterpretation of the products of that sub-brand -since they were not sold as Ferrari- from the sixties and seventies. The goal is, rather, to create and occupy a fifth slot in the current range of sports cars.

Based on what Marchionne has told it, Autocar predicts that the next Dino will have a more performance-oriented character than the California T and even the sports cars of the former sub-brand.The English publication describes the 21st-century Dino as an alternative to the California T that is closer to a pure and hardcore sports car. While the convertible in 2+2 configuration fits better with the concept of a vehicle geared toward relaxed driving and leisurely use, its future companion will focus on dynamism, emotions and other attributes that better match what purist enthusiasts understand by a true Ferrari. Among them, its mechanical layout will stand out: unlike the California T, the Dino will carry its engine in a mid-engined position.

But behind these promises lies another goal on which the design of this vehicle is based. The true role of the new Dino will be to help keep reducing the average polluting emissions of the Ferrari line-up. Although adopting turbocharged powerplants is a first step, the Italian manufacturer needs to keep working to comply with the most demanding regulations that will govern the Chinese, American and European markets.

The independence that Ferrari now enjoys, separated from FCA, prevents it from using the group’s Italian-American CO2 emission figures to improve its own calculation. This Dino will therefore have to use an efficient and relatively more environmentally friendly engine than Ferrari usually works with.

The signs point to this Dino being powered by a 500 hp twin-turbo V6.Autocar claims that Marchionne is aiming for a V6 engine supercharged by two turbochargers capable of producing 500 horsepower. Although this figure is below that of the California T, whose twin-turbo V8 of 3.9 litres produces 560 CV, Ferrari aims to give it similar or even superior performance and the intrinsic prestige of its products.

The chairman of the brand and CEO of FCA expressed his satisfaction with the results drawn from internal research on the production of this engine. Let us not forget that Ferrari already builds twin-turbocharged V6 engines for Maserati, so it has prior experience in the field.

The manufacturer’s aim will be for the public to see the new Dino as a true Ferrari and not as a cheap, lower-class model.Another loose end Marchionne was reluctant to elaborate on concerns how the addition of the Dino will affect the annual production of Ferrari. Today, its assembly lines turn out 7,000 cars a year. The executive from Chieti wants to protect the exclusive image of Ferrari. This means not only working hard to prevent the public from seeing the Dino as just another “cheap” model of lower category“, but also ensuring that the assembly rate does not grow so much that its products lose value.

Marchionne clarified to Autocar on this point: “I would rather produce 500 fewer cars than the market demands than 500 more. We have to live up to our customers’ expectations of Ferrari as a brand of renown”. A lot of responsibility for the future youngster of Ferrari, who has not always enjoyed much luck when playing the card of the affordable sports car to widen its target audience.

Via | Autocar