The latter couldn’t hide his delight with Maranello’s latest creation: "I’m very pleased to be here in Shanghai for the presentation of the FF,” he told journalists. “It’s a car I like very much indeed: the perfect combination of performance and usability. I have a son who’s just over a year old now, and this is a Ferrari that you can use with the family without having to compromise on the driving pleasure that only our cars can deliver.” Massa also went on to emphasise the very special relationship between Ferrari and China: “I was very impressed by the warmth and passion that the Chinese have for the Ferrari brand –that’s also something I’ve seen every time we come here to race, in fact.”

For his part, Amedeo Felisa spoke about the growing importance of the Chinese market to Ferrari: “Last year, we broke all previous records by reaching the 300-car mark,” he said of the company’s sales there. “In 2011, we intend to continue to grow by at least 30% and exceed the 400-car threshold. I am convinced that the Greater China area will be our second largest market by the end of this year.”

Ferrari’s Chinese market has been growing strongly since 2004. Sales have been excellent across the entire range, but the 8-cylinder Ferrari California and the 458 Italia have performed particularly well. In previews, Ferrari's Chinese clients were greatly impressed by the technological innovations offered by the FF as well as the generous size of its four comfortable seats and roomy boot (the capacity of the latter can extended up to 800 litres).

The FF is a whole new interpretation of the sporty Grand Tourer concept. It is not only the very first four-wheel drive Ferrari but, more significantly, hails a major break with the past by reconciling extreme performances with the usability and versatility of an authentic GT and a highly innovative design.

The FF features innovations throughout, starting with the fact that it is fitted with our first GDI V12 which is coupled with the seven-speed Dual Clutch gearbox. The new engine punches out 660 hp at 8,000 rpm and delivers maximum torque of 683 Nm at 6,000 rpm, 500 Nm of which are available at 1,000 rpm. The FF boasts the blistering performances of an extreme sports car too: 0-100 Km/h acceleration in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 335 km/h. It also delivers excellent results in terms of efficiency with fuel consumption cut to just 15.4 litres per 100 km and CO2 emissions to 360 g/km, a 25% reduction on the previous V12s. These achievements come in part thanks to the HELE (High Emotions-Low Emissions) system which also incorporates Stop&Start technology.

The FF also guarantees this exceptional performance on terrain with very low grip coefficients, thanks to Ferrari's own patented 4RM four-wheel drive system. Torque is still delivered by the rear wheels, but the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) ensures that as much as is required is also transferred to the front wheels when necessary on low grip surfaces. The FF intelligently distributes torque to each of the four wheels individually, thanks to the fact that all of the dynamic vehicle controls (E-Diff, F1-Trac and PTU) have been integrated into a single CPU.

ItaliaspeedTV: Ferrari Press Conference at Auto Shanghai 2011