The image of a Ferrari's exploding is more likely to be associated as part of a scene in an action movie, but this became true last week in many cities across the U.S and overseas. Not very Hollywood, I must say.
For high speed car aficionados, a Ferrari is a dream come true. They can go from zero to 60 mph in just over a few seconds. However nobody is a fan of fire breaking out of their $253,000 car, especially while driving it.
Five owners of the newly launched 2010458 Italia reported catching fire while speeding. The innovative technology of the car was expected to surprise the public but it ended up disappointing them.
So far the company has said that an adhesive close to the engine is likely the cause of the fires. "This adhesive can melt due to overheating and ignite flames," Ferrari spokesman Stefano Lai said.
Incidents involving the 458 had been reported for a couple of months but the reports were thought to be isolated instances, not something that required a lot of attention.
Car dealers have asked their customers get their cars checked for a replacement of the engine. With the objective to prevent more incidents, cars not yet purchased were pulled out of the market for further inspection. Numbers average 1,100 cars.
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1 incident should have been enough for the company to take action. How many reports were they expecting to receive? In addition to ignoring the signs of the problem, when notified that this was serious, the company didn't issue a statement to let their customers know of the situation. With the late response they may jeopardize the trust of their customers
Although a well-known brand, Ferrari is not a company of the masses. They don't produce that many cars for the general public. Obviously, their market is for those who are most afluent. Considering this, if someone would have gotten hurt, their lawyers would be sweating like crazy right now. They better look at the signs next time.
Sources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/02/business/main6830054.shtml
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/tn-dpt-0903-ferrari-20100902,0,5231106.story
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