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Ferrari has been out testing its 612 Scaglietti replacement and there's an all-new V12 lurking under that ugly, big bulge in the bonnet. Using direct petrol injection for the first time, the next big Ferrari is also likely to spawn a smaller and even more frugal turbo V8 motor and will also benefit from a stronger, lighter and stiffer aluminium chassis.
Set for debut at the 2012 Geneva show, the Granturismo Ferrari of the future will benefit from a styling remake in response to broad criticism on the current car's features - our sources in Italy suggest the newcomer will certainly become a leader of its genre
Hybrid future
But the big news from Maranello is that Ferrari has confirmed that this car will offer a hybrid option in future. Expect a petrol-electric solution worked around a very frugal, yet still powerful, V8 engine to break cover at the Geneva show.
Most Ferraris will eventually use hybrid technology as an option.
Ferrari has confirmed that it will introduce a petrol-electric, all-wheel-drive hybrid solution as an option on all its models from 2014.
The system, which has electric motors driving the front wheels and the petrol engine driving the rear, eliminates the need for a complex transmission interface as in Toyota's Prius.
Not a green car
Ferrari says its hybrid will be more a performance-enhancer than a earth-saving device.
The company's spin is that it's hybrid systems will improve handling rather than ensure fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. But it is common knowledge that all carmakers building in excess of 500 cars a year have to comply with EU emissions standards and thus the adoption of the technology in the first place.
Batteries required for hybrid drive add extra mass, a natural deterrent to handling and performance, so the system is a compromise in any event.
Ferrari's torquey electric motors will offer significant improvements in acceleration while torque delivery will be controlled to each front wheel in a form of on-the power handling enhancer driven by regenerated kinetic energy.
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