Enter the Dragon: Ferrari's Chinese assault
Vaunted Italian brand aims to build on its presence in the fast-growing Chinese market with three-year exhibition and a limited-edition 458The prancing horse already has an enormous theme park in Abu Dhabi, but now the hallowed Italian marque is eyeing the burgeoning Chinese market for its next major brand building exercise.
It’s been 20 years since a well-heeled Beijing punter put in an order for a 348 TS (the first official Ferrari sale in the world’s most populous nation) and the company is using the milestone to set up the Italia Center in Shanghai – a 900-square-metre exhibition that will showcase exhibits in five categories, including Ferrari in China, Green Technology, Product, Design and Racing.
Apart from current and past Ferrari models, the exhibition (which lasts for three years) will feature a selection of images and videos to trumpet the brand’s rich heritage. However, one can only hope it’s a more cohesive and entertaining exhibition than the somewhat underwhelming Ferrari World.
Ferrari is also using its Chinese 20th anniversary celebration to roll out a limited-edition version of its sublime 458 Italia, of which just 20 examples will be offered for sale (only in China, of course).
Befitting its target audience, the bespoke 458 is adorned with a golden dragon on the bonnet, which is offset by gold and black livery stripes symbolising a racetrack. Naturally, Ferrari’s prancing horse logo retains pride of place on the leading edge of the bonnet.
According to Ferrari, the inspiration behind the livery came from the longma theme which is an old Chinese idiom that means “the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse”. The dragon is a prized symbol in Chinese culture, representing courage, passion and success.
Other unique touches include ‘Marco Polo Red’ paintwork developed specially for the low-volume model, and it’s contrasted by gold rims and aeroelastic winglets, which will no doubt go down a treat with gold-loving Chinese buyers.
The same theme is replicated inside, with gold embroidery on the car’s head rests, while the engine start button on each of the 20 cars is inscribed with the simplified Chinese characters for ‘start’, and a ‘20th Anniversary Special Edition’ plaque is set into the dash.
The special edition is purely a cosmetic exercise, as the car’s mechanicals are left untouched… but with 419kW and 540Nm on tap there’s no real need for any tweaking.
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