Ferrari did not intentionally halt Middle East deliveries during the regional conflict and has recovered most of the resulting delays after rerouting shipments through Saudi Arabia and Oman, its regional managing director said.
Giorgio Turri, Managing Director of Ferrari Middle East, pushed back against reports that the Italian carmaker had stopped deliveries across the region, saying its operations were disrupted by unavailable transport routes rather than a commercial decision to suspend shipments.
“There was no intentional halt at all,” Turri told Arabian Business. “There was a delay in the shipments.”
Ferrari resumes Middle East shipments after Hormuz disruption forces week-long pause
Reuters reported in March that Ferrari had temporarily suspended Middle East deliveries as the war disrupted transport. The report quoted a company statement saying it had “temporarily suspended deliveries in the area” while managing a limited number by air.
Turri said the disruption required Ferrari to overhaul its logistics after the conflict began at the end of February. Sea freight was affected most heavily, while airport closures also complicated air deliveries.
Ferrari reroutes Gulf deliveries
Ferrari diverted shipments through available ports in Saudi Arabia, with a port in Oman later providing another option. Customers seeking faster delivery could also choose air freight.
“We rerouted the deliveries that were meant to happen via sea freight to take into consideration the constraints in different parts of the Gulf,” Turri said. “We recovered the delay in a very short timeframe.”
Most of the initial delay had been recovered by early April, he said, allowing Ferrari to finish the first half broadly in line with the targets set at the beginning of the year.
The regional logistics network has yet to return to its pre-conflict level of efficiency. Some Gulf ports remained inaccessible, while alternative routes carried higher costs and longer delivery times. A full recovery would also depend on shipping companies and insurers returning to established routes, Turri said.
“We truly hope that disruption doesn’t become normality,” he added.
The conflict also briefly slowed demand as some customers postponed purchase decisions during the first few weeks. Ferrari kept its regional showrooms and workshops open, however, and Turri said customers continued booking test drives.
Demand remained strong during the three months before the interview, leaving Ferrari close to its original 2026 plan.
“People were willing to spend time with us, willing to reward themselves with a Ferrari,” Turri said. “Maybe also because of what is happening around.”
He described Ferrari’s first-half performance as “surprisingly positive” and said the company could still achieve another record year in the Middle East.
“If you ask me today if I’m still confident that this will be a record year for the Middle East and for Ferrari, I would say yes,” he said.
Ferrari does not disclose a detailed breakdown of regional orders or deliveries. The Middle East accounted for 4.6 per cent of its global volumes in 2025, up from 3.5 per cent in 2024, according to figures previously reported by Reuters.
Turri attributed the region’s resilience to its young population, growing private wealth and appetite for luxury and performance cars.
Ferrari enters the EV market
That confidence also extends to the Ferrari Luce, the manufacturer’s first fully electric model and one of the largest departures from its traditional sports car formula.
Ferrari said the Luce expands its range rather than signalling a transition to an entirely electric line-up. Electric power will sit alongside internal combustion engines and hybrids as the company’s third powertrain option.
“The electric comes to add a different option,” Turri said. “It doesn’t come to replace anything that is already in our range.”
The Luce was developed to serve a use case Ferrari had not previously addressed. It has five seats, four doors and four-wheel drive, offering greater everyday space and versatility than the company’s existing models.
Ferrari said the electric platform allowed it to create that combination without reproducing the proportions or purpose of another car in its range.
“We wanted to get the most out of what the technology can offer,” Turri said.
The model uses four electric motors and incorporates six new patents, according to talking points supplied by Ferrari. Its suspension draws on the company’s latest technologies, while the battery architecture allows new vehicle-dynamics functions.
Aerodynamics heavily influenced the car’s appearance. Ferrari said the Luce has the lowest drag coefficient of any road car it has produced.
The exterior and interior were developed with LoveFrom, the design group led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Despite Ive’s background in consumer technology, Ferrari said the cabin combines digital interfaces with physical controls for essential driving functions to reduce distraction.
The company has also sought to preserve sound as part of the experience. Ferrari said it did not create an artificial engine note for the Luce. Engineers instead enhanced the natural sound produced by its electric powertrain to provide feedback to the driver.
Paddle controls influence torque delivery, adding another physical element to the driving experience.
“When we look at the development of a new car, we look first at one main objective, which is to offer emotion when driving and emotional engagement to those purchasing and using the car,” Turri said.
He believes the Gulf could be particularly receptive to the model because of its young population, enthusiasm for new technology and the largely urban way in which many owners use their cars.
Range and charging concerns may carry less weight for drivers who primarily use their cars for commuting and leisure rather than regular long-distance journeys, he said.
Ferrari will still have to persuade customers in a region where the sound of a performance engine forms a significant part of the car’s appeal.
Turri said the Luce would ultimately be judged by whether it delivered the engagement expected from the marque, regardless of how it was powered.
“We look at technology as an opportunity to build something that was missing from our range,” he said.
