Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari’s identity is built on a balance that few companies manage to maintain between tradition and technological innovation, according to CEO Benedetto Vigna. That equilibrium is not just a philosophy but the way Ferrari operates, he said.
Speaking at IIT Bombay’s E-Summit 2025, Vigna said Ferrari survives only by “audaciously redefining the limit of possible,” a process that demands equal respect for its heritage and boldness for its future. The challenge, he noted, is to protect legacy without becoming trapped by it, even as electrification and shifting customer expectations reshape the industry.
A Brand Built Like a Nut
When asked how Ferrari preserves its brand values while keeping volumes restricted, Vigna described the company through an image. “The image I have in mind is of a nut. If you think about the company like a nut, the brand is the nut shell. The thicker the shell, the stronger the brand.”
At the centre of this nut lies Ferrari’s core—its values, including the principle of scarcity. “Among those values, we have the story of scarcity, because the client must feel important. You don’t want to just produce a lot of cars. Scarcity is being exclusive,” he said.
Between the core and the shell sit the people of Ferrari, whom Vigna credits with keeping the brand strong. “The people of the company have to keep working to make sure that the shell keeps rejuvenating. Because if those people don’t work, don’t protect the core, and don’t make the shell thicker, the brand over time will become weaker.”
He described their role as operating at the crucial interface between values and brand promise. “People working at Ferrari are working at the interface between the shell and the core to make it thicker, in whatever we do, in the quality of the product and experience we offer.”
Vigna summed up Ferrari’s mission with characteristic clarity: “We, audaciously, redefine the limit of possible. How? By making this shell thicker.”
Technology as a Tool, Not the Identity
On whether technology alone can create a brand as powerful as Ferrari, Vigna said innovation is an enabler, not the destination. “Technology and innovation are good tools we are using to make the shell (the Ferrari brand) thicker and thicker. But at Ferrari, we have put together two dimensions: tradition and innovation.”
He compared this to using “two eyes,” one looking at the past and one at the future. The role of the company is to blend both using “one brain” that knows the right mix. “Like the right cocktail you want to make. No one knows the formula except you.”
For a luxury company driven by emotion, he said tradition remains a strategic asset. “If you work in a high-tech company, the tradition is not so important. It’s all about the future. But when you work in a luxury company, you need to use both eyes.”
“The beauty of tradition is that a lot of times you have answers to new problems by reading with new eyes what was done before,” he said.
Why People Choose Ferrari
Vigna said Ferrari’s product and brand strategy is shaped directly by conversations with customers. “Since the time I started to work—actually one month after I started—I was put in front of a client,” he said. “Because the best way to define the product strategy is to talk to clients.”
Those interactions also changed his perception of who Ferrari’s customers are. “When I was outside Ferrari, I thought the clients of Ferrari were people who were not really self-made men or women,” he said. “But when I got into Ferrari, I met a lot of business people—self-made men and self-made women—who enjoyed life with Ferrari.”
According to Vigna, this trait is consistent across markets. “I am talking with a lot of clients all over the world—from Germany to Thailand, to Taiwan, to India, to Japan,” he said. “You see people who bought a Ferrari because in their life they made money with their own business idea.”
That entrepreneurial connection, he said, defines Ferrari’s customer base. “All people who work hard, conceive something new, start entrepreneurial activity, make a difference, and now enjoy driving a Ferrari.” For Vigna, Ferrari represents a personal milestone. “They want to reward themselves with something as beautiful as a Ferrari.”
He believes Ferrari endures globally because it pushes people to aim higher. “The reason why people in the world love Ferrari is because it’s a company that is pushing us to do better and better. It is a kind of symbol that shows that if we put in the passion and competence, if we love what we do, we can succeed.”
Vigna said he accepted IIT Bombay’s invitation because he sees in India the same ambition that fuels Ferrari. “I liked the idea of using Ferrari as a way to show all the future entrepreneurs in India that you can do anything possible. You can try, you can work hard, you can put in a lot of passion, and many things can happen.” He urged students to view Ferrari not only as a carmaker but as a symbol of what disciplined passion and excellence can achieve.
Ferrari may cap production and guard exclusivity, but its message at the Summit was one of inspiration: heritage is a foundation, technology is an enabler, and people—and their passion—are what keep a legendary brand alive.
Ferrari today sells a tightly curated lineup that includes the SF90 Stradale, 296 GTB and GTS, Roma Spider, 812 Competizione, Purosangue, and several special-series models. In India, the company has showrooms in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi.