Ferrari unveils hybrid supercar

GREEN MONSTER: Ferrari's hybrid future kicked off at the 2010 Geneva motor show with the unveiling of the 599 KERS HY concept car.

Relevant offers

Motoring

Red Edition a special Lexus Mazda's BT-50 is a beaut ute Blue skies smiling at Mazda 3 Police U-turn on speeding tolerance Living with Mini's tiny new model Son smashes dad's loaned classic car into sea After 50 years Cubans can now buy new cars Olympic Minis to celebrate 2012 Games Fiat spins SUV off the 500 Around the track in M-badged BMWs

Thirty-five per cent less fuel, better performance and still V12 power for supercar maker's first ever petrol-electric car.

Ferrari's hybrid future kicked off at the 2010 Geneva motor show with the unveiling of the 599 KERS HY concept that is the precursor to a range of petrol-electric Ferraris.

Only garish green paint differentiated the Ferrari 599 KERS HY from other models running only with a V12 engine.

The V12 engine combines with an electric motor to boost performance of the two-door sports car while reducing fuel use by "a minimum 35 per cent".

It utilises a modified version of the Formula One developed KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) set-up teamed with lithium-ion batteries.

In unveiling the car at Geneva Ferrari chairman Luca Di Montezemolo claimed that positioning the heavy batteries low in the floor of the car did not affect interior space or functionality.

He said it also brought advantages, such as lowering the centre of gravity, in turn improving cornering dynamics of Ferrari's flagship V12 performance car.

"It is a hybrid solution [for Ferrari]," he said. "A solution which increases the sportiness and increases the fun to drive. The installation of the batteries lowers the centre of gravity."

Di Montezemolo said the 599 Hybrid was a concept car for now but it would lead to a range of petrol-electric models designed to reduce fuel use in Ferraris by at least 40 per cent.

"In three, maximum four years we want to have hybrid in every model in our range," he said. "We look ahead with a lot of optimism.
Unlike other hybrid cars - including Porsche's just-revealed 918 Spyder concept - the Ferrari KERS HY hybrid cannot run purely on electricity, in turn allowing owners to always experience the V12 sound.

However, it can capture energy normally lost in heat through the brakes and turn it back into electricity, helping reduce fuel use.

Ferrari also used the 2010 Geneva motor show to showcase a new stop-start system in its V8-powered California convertible.

Designed to turn the engine off then restart it automatically when stopped, the stop-start system is claimed to reduce fuel bills by about 6 per cent.

As for the somewhat challenging matte green paintwork, don't expect it to catch on with a brand that all but owns red.

"To see a green Ferrari is unusual," said Di Montezemolo. 

- © Fairfax NZ News