Ferrari Testing First Hybrid Model, Will Be Revealed By This July

The new Ferrari F8 Tributo will most likely be the brand’s last non-hybrid berlinetta, with the company to reveal a new hybrid mid-engine supercar within the next three months.

Our spies spotted a Ferrari test mule during a development drive in cold weather conditions, which is believed to be using the company’s much talked-about V6 hybrid powertrain.

The news were partly confirmed by Ferrari’s sales and marketing boss Enrico Galliera, who told Autocar that while it was “unfair to say (the F8 Tributo) will be the last, it is fair to say the next will be hybrid”.

We already know that Ferrari plans to introduce a new, two-tier mid-engine model range, with the upcoming hybrid model to sit above the F8 Tributo. The automaker has been developing hybrid powertrain technology for some time now, as well as a new, downsized V6 engine to go with it.

Michael Leiters, Ferrari’s technical chief said that the “V6 is the next step to follow downsizing without losing emotion or speed of the car”, which may hint that the twin-turbo V8 of the F8 Tributo is on its way out.

Ferrari plans to reveal five new models this year, with the new hybrid mid-engined supercar being one of them, as it’s going to be revealed in the next couple of months.

With the ‘regular’ F8 Tributo currently offering 710hp, we can’t help but wonder what kind of firepower the new electrified model will get. Some rumors suggest that the horsepower figure could go as high as four digits, despite the car being planned to be a regular, series-production model.

Ferrari Purosangue SUV set for 2022 launch

Ferrari boss Louis Camillieri also repeated that the brand will launch its first SUV model in 2022. Camillieri said that he was “not concerned on being too late” to market with their SUV, but “more concerned on being the best and I’m quite confident we will be. It takes time to get the best thing. I’m confident it will be spectacular and within our DNA.”