Hurray for hybrid technology - because the PHEV Ferrari 296 GTB has just won a coveted industry award.
The ‘Car Design Award’ was launched in 1984 by up-market Italian magazine Auto&Design and it rewards vehicles that contribute to the ‘evolution’ of the motoring industry.
There’s an award for ‘Production Car’ and another for ‘Concept Car’.
And the 296 GTB was handed the silverware this year in the ‘Production Car’ category, while the Toyota Compact Cruiser EV got the win in the ‘Concept’ category.
The jury said of the innovative Ferrari:
“Creating a form this beautiful and organic whilst still complying with all current regulations and giving the car an incredibly high level of technology and performance, is a truly impressive feat.
“The legendary sports prototype racers of the 1960s have informed the Ferrari 296 GTB’s design and the end result is a superb, contemporary interpretation of a classic design language.”
Recent winners of the Car Design Award include the Aston Martin DB11, the Jaguar E-PACE and the Land Rover Defender 90.
This is an important win for Ferrari, with the 296 GTB seemingly pointing the way forward for the famed Maranello manufacturer, with electrified powertrains at the forefront of minds.
Of course, the 296 GTB isn’t Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid - that honour went to the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. And, like the Stradale, you can hardly accuse the 296 of being a wealthy person’s Toyota Prius.
There’s power of 830 hp thanks to a 2.9-litre V6 engine mated to a 7.45 kWh battery. You can expect around 15 miles of range using electricity alone, and Ferrari claims fuel consumption can be as high as around 44 miles to the gallon.
CO2 emissions are also relatively low, at around 149 g/km, which makes the 296 GTB potentially greener than an Audi S3.
Ferrari says the 296 GTB is there to ‘provide pure excitement not only when pursuing maximum performance but also in everyday driving’.
There’s also an all-electric Ferrari on the way, a car that’s due to arrive in 2025.
Ferrari chairman John Elkann finally was reported as saying last year:
“You can be sure this will be everything you dream the engineers and designers at Maranello can imagine for such a landmark in our history.”
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