Ferrari makes more than $100,000 on every single car it sells, according to a new German report.
The fabled Italian brand's total sales might be a fraction of industry giants like Toyota or Volkswagen, but the amount of profit it makes on every car sold would have every other brand looking on with envy, with the $107,000 it makes per vehicle sold more than any other manufacturer.
At the other end of the scale, Tesla's well-publicised fight for profitability sees it locked second from the bottom, losing more than $17,000 per vehicle sold. But the worst result is reserved for luxury brand Bentley, losing a staggering $26,000 per vehicle sold - a figure company executives attribute to increased R&D spending on EV technology.
![Bentley claims its losses are down to R&D into EV technology.]()
Bentley claims its losses are down to R&D into EV technology.
The report - compiled by German economics professor Ferdinand Dudenhoffer, who tracked per-unit profitability across a number of major brands over the first six months of 2018 - found that Porsche remains the most profitable German performance brand, securing $26,500 per car sold, while BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi each make around $14,000.
Thinks aren't so rosy for premium British brands Jaguar and Land Rover, making just $1250 per car, while Volvo and Maserati each make closer to $7500.
Are new-car profits justified? Tell us in the comments below.
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Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
About Author
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