Ferrari sales set to top 300 in S. Korea this year

SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- Sales of Ferrari models are set to exceed 300 in South Korea this year amid growing demand for high-performance vehicles in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, its importer said Friday.

Forza Motors Korea Corp. (FMK), which imports Ferrari and Maserati models, said it sold 842 Maserati and 300 Ferrari models in the Korean market for the whole of 2021.

"Five years ago, we sold about 100 Ferrari models in Korea but local demand for the super car is on the rise," FMK spokesman Choi Seung-ok told Yonhap News Agency.

Last year, a total of 10,000 Ferrari models were sold globally, including 700 units sold in Japan and 500-600 units in China, he said.

On Friday, FMK launched the Ferrari 296 GTS plug-in hybrid sports car here at the price of over 400 million won (US$308,000).

The 3-liter 296 GTS comes with a V6 turbocharged gasoline engine and a 122kW electric motor. It can sprint from zero to 200 kilometers in only 7.6 seconds.

The company said it has received a double-digit number of preorders for the 296 GTS model since April.

The Ferrari 296 GTS is the Italian carmaker's fourth plug-in hybrid model after the Ferrari 296 GTB launched in January this year, the SF90 Stradale and the SF90 Spider launched last year.

GTS and GTB stand for Gran Turismo Spider and Gran Turismo Berlinetta, respectively.

"We are planning to introduce its first sport utility vehicle model in September and an all-electric model in 2025 in line with the global electrification push," Choi said.

Ferrari models available in South Korea are two GT models -- Roma and Portofino M -- and four sports car models -- SF90 Stradale, SF90 Spider, 296 GTB, and 296 GTS.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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