There’s a fundamental shift brewing within Maranello as Ferrari appears keen to embrace hybrid technology in an attempt to boost its sales volume above 10,000 units. No less than Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne himself hinted at the potential of hybrid tech as a catalyst to increase the brand’s profitability, which is already on pace for a record-breaking 2016 on the back of rising sales and profits.

Speaking to Reuters, Marchionne hinted the company’s plan to expand its use of hybrid technology. He didn’t dive into the specifics, but he did say that all Ferrari models that will be sold from 2019 will at least have some hybrid elements to it. Not only could such a strategy remove, or at least mitigate the pressure of having to adhere to CO2 regulations, it also opens Ferrari up to expand its reach to other markets that have begun to embrace hybrid technology.

From a technical standpoint, Ferrari is also eyeing other ventures into zero-emissions technology beyond the benefits offered by hybrids. There’s even the possibility of seeing combinations of combustion engines and electrification, which could yield to increased performance for future Ferrari models. All these plans are possibilities in the eyes of Maranello, but Marchionne was also quick to point out that nothing concrete has been laid out and plans could still change depending on the climate of the industry.

Still, it says a lot about the current state of the business when a company as notoriously stubborn as Ferrari has begun to see the significance of hybrid technology and the role it’s going to play in shaping the industry. It’s not just with mainstream models anymore; performance and luxury brands are also poised to benefit from the technology and the Prancing Horse is beginning to recognize that.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Winds of change has swept into Ferrari

You can point to a multitude of reasons behind Ferrari’s softening stance towards zero-emissions technology and a lot of it points to the business end of the automaker’s goal of increasing its profits and sales volume. That’s been Ferrari’s goal since it broke away from Fiat Chrysler to stand on its own and that decision, fair or not, comes with the pressure of showing that it’s capable of meeting – or exceeding – its goals now that it doesn’t have the support of a parent company.

It’s no secret that Sergio Marchionne is keen on embracing this challenge and the recent tenor within Ferrari shows that it’s ready to broaden its horizons to get to where it needs to go. Using hybrid technology is an option and it’s encouraging to see the Italian automaker recognize the potential of zero-emissions vehicles, especially at a time when a lot of the world’s automotive markets are beginning to open themselves up to a cleaner industry.

At the end of the day, this is still a business decision above all else. But in certain times, business must bend to the winds of change and that’s what we’re seeing here with Ferrari. So when Marchionne says that all Ferraris will have some form of hybrid technology from 2019, it’s his way of saying that the Italian automaker is putting the business of being successful and more profitable above all else. That’s not to say that it’s going to completely turn its back on its performance and luxury roots, but the beauty of being Ferrari is that it has the name that allows it to venture into new paths without compromising its identity.

It’s still going to be Ferrari; the only difference is that it’s now a smarter Ferrari.

Read our full review on the Ferrari LaFerrari here.