Last year Ferrari sold
'close to' 300 cars in China, its best result since the
Italian company started exports there. This result
represented a further strengthening of the positive
trend within the market in recent years, and an increase
of nearly 50 per cent compared to 2009.
If the sales figures for
Hong Kong and Taiwan are added – the equivalent of the
Greater China Area – China becomes one of the top five
international markets for Ferrari, an extraordinary
result in the light of the fact that the official
network was opened there only six years ago.
2010 is a historic
year for Ferrari in China, not just thanks to the sales
record, but also because the 999th client will be the
centre of attention of a special celebration in Shanghai
on the 14th of January. The number is especially
auspicious as, in China, the number nine is considered
lucky and represents longevity.
Ferrari’s success in
China is the result of the attention the company has
paid to the market in recent years, culminating in 2010
with the introduction of special, dedicated initiatives.
The structure of the official network has been
strengthened and new partners have been selected to
increase the number of dealerships from the current 10,
with new dealers opening in a number of different cities
in the next few months. 2011 will also see the start of
the first Asian championship in the Ferrari Challenge
single-make racing series. Ferrari’s commitment to this
strategic market was further underlined in 2010 by the
display of the HY-KERS laboratory vehicle at the
Shanghai World Expo in the Italian Pavilion and the
launch of the 599 GTO at the Beijing Auto Show,
Ferrari’s first ever world premiere in China.
Similarly a number of
cultural initiatives further emphasised the strength of
the ties between Ferrari and China, such as the
scholarship programme dedicated to students from the
Automotive Engineering faculty of Tsinghua University.
After studying at the Politecnico di Milano the students
undertook an internship at Ferrari’s factory in
Maranello. The programme will continue in 2011 and is
financed thanks to another cultural partnership; that
with the Chinese artist Lu Hao who created a special
one-off 599 GTB, painting the bodywork with a special
technique that reproduced the effect of antique Ge Kin
porcelain from the Song dynasty, which was sold at
auction in Beijing.
