Guardian: Italian sales of Ferraris and Maseratis more than halve

Sales of Ferraris, which can cost up to £250,000 for some models, slipped by 56% to 248 units in 2012

Italy’s love affair with fast cars has become the latest victim of the eurozone crunch after figures revealed that domestic sales of the Ferrari and Maserati had more than halved.

Sales of Ferraris, which can cost up to £250,000 for some models, slipped by 56% to 248 units in 2012, according to the Italian auto industry trade body, with Maserati slumping by 72% to 115 units. Lamborghini fared a little better, with the 60 cars it sold last year representing a decline of 16.6%. Alfa Romeo sales slipped by more than a quarter to 42,000 units.

Ferrari’s president, Luca di Montezemolo, said the company’s home market had been a blip in an otherwise excellent year.