Ferrari won’t ever make a self-driving car!
In a time when carmakers are pushing for autonomous tech, Ferrari's CEO has openly stated that no Ferrari car will ever offer full autonomy.
Building great roadcars? Si. Building some of the most beautiful and iconic roadcars to grace the planet? Si, certamente. Building cars which have the capability to drive themselves while being beautiful and iconic? No, perché la pensi così? This is likely an abbreviated version of the discussion Ferrari higher-ups had while discussing whether to ever make a fully autonomous car!
As per a Bloomberg article, Ferrari’s CEO Benedetto Vigna said that a few AI experts had come and approached Ferrari to inform them about the benefits of autonomous driving, and why it should be embraced. Vigna simply made them sit with a Ferrari test driver and have them take a lap of the Fiorano test track owned by Ferrari. After the ride, they came clean to him admitting, “OK Benedetto, our presentation is useless.”, quoted by Vigna himself.
Vigna said that driver aids and driver assistance tech will be present in Ferraris, but never will a Ferrari be fully autonomous as it takes away the joy of driving. He summed it up as no buyer is going to spend money to then let the computer enjoy the driving aspect, and that the person is fundamental to the driving process. With the cars Ferrari makes, can we really blame him? The company is looking to launch 15 new models by 2030, one of which will be the mythic LaFerrari’s true successor. Why should a computer enjoy and have all the fun of driving?
