Ferrari drives to sell 600 units in China

A Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is displayed at an exhibition held to celebrate Ferrari's 999th car sold on the Chinese mainland at the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai Thursday. The number nine, representing longevity, is considered auspicious in Chinese culture.

Ferrari SpA said Ja. 14 it aims to boost sales in China to 600 units this year and hopes to drive the world's largest auto market to become its second-largest market after the United States in the future.

The Italian sports car maker sold close to 300 cars on the Chinese mainland in 2010, up nearly 50 percent from a year earlier and marked the best result since the company started business here in 2004.

China became Ferrari's fifth-largest market when it sold nearly 500 units in combined sales on the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"The result confirmed the positive trend within the market in recent years, and China will play a more and more important role in the Prancing Horse global success," said Ferrari Chief Executive Officer Amedeo Felisa, who was in Shanghai for a ceremony marking Ferrari's 999th owner on the mainland with the delivery of the Ferrari 458 Italia.

"It took us four years to welcome our 500th owner and just two years to gather another 500," said Edwin Fenech, Ferrari's Asia-Pacific CEO. "We have confidence it will be much faster to reach the next milestone."

Ferrari also intends to tap the large potential offered by China's younger consumers.

"One thing that Chinese clients differ from those elsewhere is that customers in Europe and America are normally between 30 and 40 years old but many Chinese owners are less than 30," Felisa noted.

Ferrari plans to increase the number of dealerships from 10 to 15 this year to tap growing demand on the mainland, with new dealers set to open in non-coastal cities. At present, the dealerships focus on cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou.