Ferrari team back in Mumbai after 13,000 km tour

Mumbai, May 7 (UNI) The ''Ferrari Magic India Discovery Drive'' arrived back to a jubilant welcome at the Gateway of India here after traversing 13,000 km drive.

More than 50 journalists got a chance to drive the two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis during the 70-day, 57-city cross-country tour.

''The biggest difficulty we faced was the traffic. Some patches of the roads were also rough, but they were under repair, which gave us an idea of the quality of roads to which one can expect in the future,'' said Antonio Ghini, Communications and Brand Management Director of Ferrari.

He said the extra aluminium protection carried by the low clearance cars offered sufficient protection.

On the subject of entering the Indian market, Ghini said the company had no immediate plans. Infrastructure, business partners and network will have to be well established before the company makes any serious move.

He said Ferrari will launch a new eight-cylinder car in Paris in October. The company had a good year in 2007, when they sold 5,700 cars, and it expects to sell 7,000 cars this year.

''We don't sell cars, we sell dreams,'' he said.

On Formula 1, Ghini said Ferrari was ready to face the challenge of the BMW Williams team.

''The stiffer the competition, the better for us. If they get better than us, they may win the Championship. If not, we will take it,'' he added.

The company had also undertaken similar rallys in China (2005) and Pan-America (2006).

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