On April 20, Velocità Motors Inc. (VMI) formally welcomed guests to its new home near the upscale Greenhills neighborhood in San Juan. VMI is the new Ferrari importer in the Philippines.
The opening was attended by media from various outlets with San Miguel Corporation president and CEO Ramon S. Ang welcoming guests together with VMI general manager Japheth Castillo and VMI directors Jacob Ang, Luis Gono, and Spencer Yu.
Ferrari head of global sales Luca Zanetti flew in from Modena to attend this momentous event together with colleagues from the Ferrari regional office in Singapore.
The VMI facility sits on a 1,500sq-m property and has five floors including three basement levels covering a total floor area of 4,135sq-m. The ground floor houses a showroom and offices, while the second floor will become a lounge where enthusiasts, owners, and clients can hang out.
VMI is particularly proud of the configurator room where clients can build their dream Ferraris with interior and exterior colors, materials, finishes, wheel designs, brake-caliper colors, contrasting stitching, seat type, and more. Beside it is a sitting room/library full of literature and artwork, with an espresso bar to clear your mind before you spec out your Ferrari.
Basement level one is the service garage filled with state-of-the-art Ferrari diagnostic equipment, special tools, and lifters. Acting after-sales head Luis Gono says that there are currently only four Ferrari-certified mechanics, but that number will soon grow. Basement levels two and three are for parking and storage, respectively.
We also sat down with Zanetti to chat about Ferrari’s future. Incidentally, he is a native of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. As a child, he would always be at the perimeter fence of Fiorano, Ferrari’s private test track, peering at the prototypes and Formula 1 cars. He has always lived and breathed Ferrari.
The year 2023 was stellar for the brand with 13,633 cars sold. We asked if there was a conscious push for Ferrari to grow, and he said that production will grow organically with the demand, always producing one car less than what the company feels the market demands.
With the Purosangue and the replacement of the 812 flagship supercar, which will be unveiled in a few weeks, the number is sure to grow this year, potentially hitting 15,000 units.
We also asked Zanetti if there would ever be a fully electric Ferrari, and he said for sure. Ferrari will inaugurate a brand-new facility in Maranello dedicated to Ferrari’s electric future, both fully electric and hybrid.
Yet, he was very keen to stress that the glorious, naturally aspirated V12 will continue its operatic act for as long as possible, providing Ferraristi a choice of hybrid, electric, and naturally aspirated powertrains.
Of course, we cheekily asked what an electric Ferrari would sound like, and Zanetti confidently said that there would be a sound, as the aural experience is critical to any Ferrari.
We also inquired if Ferrari would unveil a new type of model soon, to which he said that the brand always believed there should always be a Ferrari for the right driver and the right condition.
Although there are no plans to create another four-door model, Ferrari is not closed to the possibility so long as the company is confident that it can deliver a product that upholds its standards of quality, drivability, and performance. This is also why it took so long to join the upscale crossover/SUV segment with the Purosangue.
Who knows? Perhaps an electric Ferrari sedan or shooting brake might just happen down the line? So if you’ve got the money to spare and the time to wait, head on over to Ferrari’s new home, spec out your Prancing Horse, and enjoy the complete experience.
Velocità Motors is located on Connecticut Street in San Juan, and is open from 8am to 5pm (Monday to Saturday).
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