Well, for us it really does not matter as we cannot afford a new Ferrari or its maintenance. So why should it matter to most Malaysians?
Ferrari management for Asia Pacific have been shopping for a new partner in Malaysia for some time now and the rumours have been circulating in the industry making the current long standing partner looking rather ……..
Well, for you and me and some 99.7 percent of Malaysians, it really does not matter who sells brand new Ferrari cars, SUVs and even merchandise in Malaysia as the small percentage of buyers will buy from whoever delivers to them.
Meanwhile, the reasons why Ferrari Asia Pacific is looking for a new partner is quite simply this. Ferrari as a brand likes to dictate to their partners in every nation their expensive needs.
Needs like total showroom make-overs every few years where all tables, furniture, stationary and even waste paper baskets must come from their designated supplier which has a huge price premium (even if you can find a locally sourced equal at a lower price it cannot be used).
The refit of the showroom must be done with their 100 percent approval and the cost to do this runs into the millions and Ferrari will not bend over, even one cm to accommodate local requests.
Then there is the regular 5 star entertainment and dining that is required by the local partner when the Ferrari management visit and they must be treated like automotive royalty.
All this while the local partner takes the effort to sell their cars to Malaysian customers pushing for them to tick the option boxes for hundreds of thousands of Ringgit of accessories like badges and bits.
This is where Ferrari as a company makes their money which never seems to filter back to needy people around the world.
This from a company that is highly profitable and having customers waiting 2 or 3 years for their supercars and yet they look the other way when partners request for assistance.
So, when Ferrari pushed Naza Italia to upgrade their showroom and after sales just before Covid, they did not think how long it will take for Naza Italia to recoup the millions spent on the new look and instead they went SEEKING for a new Malaysian partner.
Well, from our research, it looks like Ferrari INVITED Sime Darby Motors and Berjaya Group (H.R Owen) to pitch for the business (since they were already doing the Ferrari business in other markets).
Interestingly, only the un-invited two other groups were keen for the business to compliment their existing luxury car brands in Malaysia.
So, it looks like they will soon have a taste of what it means to be a Ferrari partner in Asia and we will probably be put in cold storage for writing the truth about the way Malaysian business partners are treated.
