New Ferrari 'e-facility' will give ample capacity for electrification, CEO says

MILAN (Reuters) - Ferrari's new assembly facility, its so called 'e-building', in its Maranello hometown in northern Italy, will give the luxury sportscar maker capacity to expand its offer of electrified cars in coming years, its CEO said on Wednesday.

The e-building will be inaugurated on June 21, Ferrari Chief Executive Benedetto Vigna told investors during the company's annual general meeting (AGM).

"This state of the art plant will assure us of flexibility and technical capacity in excess of our needs for years to come," he said.

"Here, we will handcraft the dedicated electric axles and batteries that will power future Ferraris," Vigna added.

The company, known globally for its roaring, high performance petrol engines, has been selling hybrid-electric cars since 2019 and has promised its first fully-electric (EV) vehicle at the end of next year.

The new assembly line, however, will not only be making fully-electric cars, Ferrari has said. The carmaker has plans to continue selling a mix of internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid and EV vehicles in the coming years.

Vigna also said Ferrari's innovation effort was highlighted by the "significant increase" in the number of patents proposals put forward by the company in recent years.

"Just in 2023, we have submitted 181 patent applications in Italy," he said.

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; Editing by Keith Weir)