Ferrari is set to launch a new hybrid supercar, and the automaker has released the first teaser photo showing the tail of the car. The teaser also confirms a reveal for May 29, meaning the wait isn't long now.
Prototypes have been testing outside Ferrari's Maranello headquarters for the past several months and revealed a high-mount design for the two very large exhaust tips, which is confirmed in the teaser. Interestingly, there also appears to be a square-shaped design for the lights, which could be a throwback to some classic models like the Testarossa.
An official invite that surfaced earlier revealed the car will have 968 horsepower. Ferrari is thought to be developing both V-6- and V-8-based hybrid powertrains, with the latter most likely pegged for the new supercar, since Ferrari has referred to it as a “top-of-the-line hybrid.”
The new car is also expected to have the ability to drive on electric power alone for short distances, meaning a bigger battery than Ferrari's last hybrid, the LaFerrari. We've even heard rumors the car will have all-wheel drive, made possible by a pair of electric motors at the front axle. According to the same rumor, a third electric motor will be mated to the engine to power the rear axle.
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari is known to be also developing a new platform for its mid-engine cars, though it isn't clear whether the supercar will utilize the new platform or share a platform with the recently revealed F8 Tributo, which uses a modified version of the platform launched a decade ago in the 458 Italia.
Even with the older platform, performance is expected to be better than the LaFerrari, which has a 36-hp deficit to the new supercar. And the supercar won't be a limited edition like the LaFerrari. Instead, it will have a normal product cycle, Ferrari marketing chief Enrico Galliera revealed in March.
The new supercar is one of five Ferraris debuting this year (the F8 was another) and one of 15 new models or derivatives due by 2022. About 60 percent of these will be hybrids, and beyond this date the Prancing Horse will launch its first electric car.
The shift comes as Ferrari plans to boost production output with the Purosangue SUV due around 2022, which will forfeit the company's exemption from CO2 regulations. Ferrari has sold fewer than 10,000 cars per year, which kept it out of regulations' targets. In 2021, the European Union will implement stricter emissions regulations Ferrari will need to adhere to as its sales volumes expand with the SUV.
