This article was originally featured on The Drive.
Ferrari is perhaps the most well-known supercar manufacturer in the world because it has a long history of making cars people want to drive—not necesssarily be driven in. During a discussion at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna, did not mince words about how the automaker feels about self-driving cars. “There are four kinds of software. There is performance software, there is comfort software, there is infotainment software, and there is autonomous,” Vigna said. “The last one, we don’t care.”
This isn’t the first time the brand has said no to AVs. Previous executives have made many similar statements to the media. The automaker is developing an electric vehicle, though, and it says it has the in-house expertise to make it happen. In the case of AVs, it’s likely the company was not only uninterested in developing the idea as a matter of principle, but it also doesn’t have the resources to do so independently.
Business Insider reports Vigna referenced the “soul of the car” in conversation. Indeed, a Ferrari without a driver wouldn’t be much of a Ferrari at all. The brand is its own master after not taking part in the merger of FCA and PSA that created Stellantis. That means it isn’t getting high-up directives to develop AVs and it has other companies in its porfolio with which to easily share advanced technical resources.
Most other exotic car manufacturers are under the umbrella of a larger automaker. In most cases, it’s the Volkswagen group, which owns Porsche, Lamborghini, and the newly merged Bugatti-Rimac. These companies could create AVs, or at least use technology from their parent to create them. Others like McLaren—which is struggling financially—and Koenigsegg, which is very low volume and focuses most of its resources on vehicle engineering, are unlikely to independently create self-driving cars. Driver assistance systems may be independently developed or licensed from other companies, but self-driving seems farfetched, to say the least.