Ferrari is the latest carmaker to announce plans to reduce the carbon-dioxide emissions of its fleet, and is aiming to have its future models consume up to 40% less fuel than the current lineup by as early as 2012. Officials have already hinted at several possibilities, including weight-saving and mild hybrid technologies, in addition to giving us a preview with the sub-1,000kg Millechili concept.


Speaking at the Reuters Auto Summit in Frankfurt, general manager Amedeo Felisa said Ferrari also wanted to reduce CO2 emissions from 400g/km per vehicle to 280-300g by the 2012 target date. "We have to face the challenge of reducing consumption but not affecting the performance of the car," he said. "Otherwise we move away from our position in the market and we do not want to do that."

Felisa also revealed engineers were looking at everything from improving the performance of the engine to using lighter materials for the body of the car, reports Automotive News.

Ferrari currently invests 17% of its sales revenue in R&D but as the EU speeds up the introduction of stricter CO2 emissions standards you can expect this figure start to rise. Felisa also pointed out during the conference that Ferrari's niche status and low volumes meant that it barely causes much damage to the environment compared to mainstream labels.