Ferrari’s new factory will produce its first EV in 2026
A new €200m e-building will produce Ferrari’s future sports cars – including its first EV
In its biggest expansion in recent times, Ferrari has opened a new, 42,500 square metre factory building at its Maranello HQ. Called the Ferrari e-building, it will house the production of a mixture of models: pure combustion, hybrid and Ferrari’s first pure electric model, which will be revealed in late 2025 and begin production in 2026.
The building was opened in a ceremony on Friday 21 June 2024, and production of cars officially starts on Monday 24 June: initially with a pilot mix of current Ferrari models, including the Purosangue and SF90.
Ferrari says the building has been created as the result of a €200million investment, and that much of that cost has already been amortised.
evo was on the ground at the building’s opening, where partners, investors, politicians and journalists were allowed inside for the first time. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the new Ferrari e-building?
A large, multi-floor factory building, designed to give Ferrari the maximum production flexibility possible: a broad mixture of cars with all kinds of powertrains can be produced here. It also gives the company pure electric car production capability for the first time. There is a dedicated station on an upper floor for the components of future EVs and hybrids, including automated machines to install the rotors and stators of Ferrari’s own electric motors, production stations for EV transmission components in aluminium casings, and benches for e-axle quality-control testing.
The new e-building occupies a new area at the north edge of the existing Ferrari campus. It’s the first time in many years that Ferrari has extended its Maranello base beyond its previous limits, buying and developing new land to do so.
Three hundred people will work in the new e-building when production ramps up; around 5000 people work at Maranello total.
High-tech factory systems bring the e-building fully up to date; for example, ultra-wide band connectivity which enables the production team to check if a tool is in the right position or if it has been misplaced.
The e-building’s architect is the Italian Mario Cucinella.
Why is it called the e-building?
“E” stands for three things: Energy, Evolution and Environment,’ said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna in his speech to guests opening the plant.
Energy because Ferrari will keep three powertrains in the coming years: internal combustion, hybrid and pure electric. The e-building will be geared up to create every type of powertrain. Evolution because it gives Ferrari greater flexibility, with a production line able to produce a combustion-engined Purosangue SUV followed immediately by a hybrid SF90 supercar, followed by a pure EV, for example. Environment because the e-building is a step forward in Ferrari’s stated aim for carbon-neutral production by the end of the decade.
Vigna says that Ferrari has reduced its CO2 footprint by 16 per cent in the last two years. The e-building features 3000 solar panels (and 9000 have been installed at Maranello as a whole), and channelling on the roof to capture rainwater to add to water required for production processes. These measures are not enough on their own for carbon neutrality but make a useful contribution to the total energy supply. Vigna states that from January 2025, Ferrari will not burn any more gas to produce its electricity, heating and cooling.
Why has Ferrari built it?
Aside from the need for electric car production capability, Benedetto Vigna states that the e-building has been created for three reasons: more technology tools, more production flexibility and to accommodate more personalisation offers for clients.
Ferrari is at pains to make the point that the e-building has not been created to increase production capacity, and that flexibility is more important to it than volume.
Although it has committed to a pure electric model, Ferrari is keeping its options open regarding its wider powertrain model mix – the production flexibility afforded by the new e-building helps in that regard. ‘I think carbon-neutral fuel will become more and more an option,’ Vigna says. ‘We’re working together with a partner already in Formula 1. Many things will change by 2036. The best thing for us is working in a flexible way, and having the nimbleness to adapt.’
In its electrified models thus far, Ferrari has sourced its electric motors from external suppliers. Creating its own motors in-house not only gives it advantages in terms of intellectual property and supply chain logistics, but also affords it more protection from external market factors.
One of the biggest immediate wins for Ferrari will be greater flexibility and speed in creating personalisation requests for customers – a lucrative aspect of its business.
What’s the building like?
The size of the building is striking, and its extra space over the older factory buildings and use of wells to trap and transmit natural light makes for better well-being for staff, with improved lighting and a flat, rail-free floor reducing trip hazards and easing mobility. The light wells assist with heating the building, too, alongside the in-house heat pump system. There’s plenty of glass on the outer walls, enabling views out across Maranello from the upper-floor production areas.
Ferrari also says the more efficient production process will shorten the time to market for new models, and free up more of its engineers’ time to concentrate on research and development. Vigna describes moving the cars’ body-in-whites in the new plant as a ‘less cumbersome’ process than the older plants.
What Ferrari cars will be built in the new e-building?
As we tour the facility, a number of existing Ferrari models are being built in the plant, to pilot test the process and train staff. ‘We are using the most complex products – Purosangue and SF90 – to test the line,’ Vigna says. ‘From here to the year’s end we will set up the production line using the existing cars.’ Full scale production will begin in 2025, again with existing models. The first brand-new model to be built in the e-building will be the new electric Ferrari, entering production in 2026.
Ferrari will design and assemble batteries here, but the battery cells will be sourced from external suppliers. Cell supplier is TBC: ‘We are working with more than one supplier,’ Vigan says, ‘we have several partners and we are continually investigating.’ In addition, Ferrari has opened an ‘e-lab’ with the University of Bologna, to research and share technology related to battery cells.
Will Ferrari be ending production in its older factory buildings?
No – they’ll continue as before, although some production will be relocated to the new building. Vigna says this may free up extra production space in the older buildings for special, low-volume models. A separate area will also be allocated for development. Vigna emphasises that the creation of the e-building ‘is not capacity-driven: it’s flexibility-driven.’
‘The old line will stay alive,’ Vigna says, ‘but we can rearrange the line. The old line is [currently] slowing down development.’ He added in his introductory speech: ‘To be successful today, you need to have R&D and production running together at the same time in the same place, otherwise the time to market is too long.’
