Ferrari has done the unthinkable and announced that it is now working on reducing its vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions. To accomplish this, the supercar maker plans to build even lighter cars than it does now, and implement new hybrid technology. Rumors are even floating around about possible smaller, more fuel efficient turbocharged V-6 engines in the future.
This is all due to a recent proposal by the European Council that forces auto-manufacturers to limit their fleet average carbon-dioxide levels to 130g/km (209g/mile) by as early as 2012.
To meet these regulations, Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has revealed to reporters that the company's goal is to reduce emissions by 40 percent between now and 2012.
"We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1," said Montezemolo.
The new alternative energy source that Montezemolo speaks of is the new Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS) that works on the same principle as brake-energy-regeneration. The system is essentially a CVT transmission that is joined to the flywheel and rotates when the vehicle is under braking.
While all this talk about hybrid technology and reducing carbon emissions may come as a shock to some and seem very un-Ferrari-like, it was mentioned that with KERS, the stored energy can be used to boost acceleration for overtaking and cornering.
In the end, Ferrari is adamant that the future hybrid will still be a thoroughbred and "fundamentally a Ferrari." The hybrid models aren't expected to hit the market until around 2015.
+ Motor Authority: Ferrari boss confirms hybrid program