As Europe’s borders extend further East, the Ferrari Maserati Group is organising its own dealership network in Slovenia and Hungary, two of the most important new additions to the European Union.

In addition to entering these two new markets, the Group is also taking over direct management of the Spanish market as part of its European reorganisation.

The changes announced today bring to 52 the number of countries worldwide in which Prancing Horse and Trident cars are distributed.

This process of expansion has seen the Group grow in two major ways: either, through the coverage of high potential markets via importers, dealers or the formation of partnerships.

Or through the direct management of markets with the highest presence of Ferrari and Maserati customers, via the establishment of local branches, fully controlled by the parent company.

The entry into the two Eastern European countries and the direct management of the Spanish market are just the latest steps in the reorganisation of the Ferrari Maserati Group’s commercial presence across the world.

Indeed, in 2004 we extended their presence to important markets such as Russia (through an importer) and China (through a joint venture).

Ferrari also took direct management control of our other leading markets, such as France, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Holland, through the opening of new branches there. These join our already well-established branches in the United States, Germany and Switzerland.

Altogether the Ferrari Maserati Group now directly controls the markets which account for 80% of our clients.

Hungary

A new Ferrari Maserati showroom opens today, November 26th, in Budapest.

Operations are managed by SPQR Warm Up Srl, the Ferrari Maserati Group’s importer in Hungary.

The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Ferrari Maserati Group’s Deputy Chairman Piero Ferrari, Maserati CEO Martin Leach and SPQR General Managers Marco Liello and Alessandro Lippi.

SPQR Warm Up Srl is controlled by SPQR Hungaria Spa, a company which has operated in the automotive industry for more than 10 years and is currently a dealer of Fiat Group cars, and Forza srl, one of Italy’s leading Prancing Horse and Trident car dealers.

Hungary is without a doubt one of the driving forces behind the growth and development of Eastern Europe and is a major lynchpin for the entire area. This is a country in which cars have historically played a leading role.

Home to the much-appreciated F1 Grand Prix at which Ferrari won its sixth consecutive Constructors’ World title this year, Hungary is an important market for both Ferrari and Maserati.

The country’s car market is growing fast, having expanded from around 140,000 vehicles in 2000 to over 200,000 in 2003.

The luxury and sports car segments, to which Ferrari and Maserati belong, are following a similar upward trend.

Although Hungary had no importation, distribution or service network until now, there are a few dozen Ferraris and Maseratis on its roads, a sign of the passion for the Ferrari Maserati Group’s brands and good news for the new distribution and service network now in place.

Slovenia

AC Maranello, Ferrari Maserati Group’s importer in Slovenia, officially opened its doors on 19th November in Ljubljana, in front of a select group of journalists and clients. Ferrari and Maserati’s sales executives and the General Manager of AC Maranello took part in the press conference that followed.

AC Maranello is part of Autocommerce, which has been operating in the automobile sector for over 50 years, and already distributes Fiat Group cars in Slovenia. As a result of its entry into the European Union, the Slovenian economy is now particularly brisk. This is keeping local interest in and passion for cars, particularly those in the luxury or sports car segments, high.

As with Hungary, the absence of a distribution network did not discourage sales of Ferrari and Maserati products in the past. The fact that there are already several dozen Ferraris and Maseratis on Slovenian roads despite the lack of an established service network bodes well for the future.

Spain

Following a strategy that has proved successful in its other leading markets, the Ferrari Maserati Group came to the decision to take over direct control of its distribution network in Spain. The latter was previously managed by Modena Cars (Maserati) and the Testarossa Cars (Ferrari) (Bergè Group).

From the beginning of November, all sales activities have been managed by Ferrari Maserati West Europe, a wholly-owned branch which is already operating in France and the Benelux countries. This is an important step for the Group which, thanks to a new dealer network, can now be even closer in terms of support and services to clients in a market with great potential, particularly for Maserati.