Ferrari has seen more than a doubling of its orders from India in anticipation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union that is set to come into force in early 2027, top officials of the luxury car company said. The FTA will see a substantial lowering of import tariffs on European cars entering the Indian market.
Speaking at a select media roundtable in New Delhi, Ferrari’s heads for Southeast Asia, and the Far and Middle East further said that, over the last two years, the company has restructured itself internally to forefront India in its global plans.
EU FTA impact visible
So many of the people are already walking to our dealership every day to say, ‘okay, I know the FTA is coming, can I start to configure my car, can I start to have an idea of the price, etc’,” Charles Antoine Geneste, Head of Southeast Asia at Ferrari said. “So, we can clearly see the passion that was there, and that there is this acceleration that for us is amazing to see.”
Since Ferrari typically likes to maintain a waiting period of 18 months between placing an order and delivery of a car, Mr. Geneste said that customers in India are already lining up to place orders so that they can get delivery once the FTA is in effect.
While declining to quantify exactly how much demand has increased in anticipation of the FTA, when asked if it has doubled, Ferrari’s President of Far and Middle East Francesco Bianchi said: “See, this is big, it’s more than what you say.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in Brussels on December 16 for the signing of the India-EU FTA, and the European authorities say that it is expected to come into force in “early 2027” once the European Parliament has cleared it.
Under the deal, India has agreed to slash import duties on European-made luxury car Completely Built Units (CBUs) from around 110% to 30-35% in the first year, which will further drop to 10% in a phased manner, subject to initial annual quotas.
Ferrari’s new focus
Ferrari has currently opened its experiential exhibition ‘Universo Ferrari’ in New Delhi up to November 1, where it showcases its key models, including the Formula One race car as well as its Le Mans model, apart from its various luxury streetcars.
This exhibition, so far launched in only five countries worldwide, including its home country of Italy, is the latest in a series of moves Ferrari has made over the last few years to increasingly cater to the India market.
“We deliberately decided to have a team that is focused on India and Southeast Asia,” Mr Bianchi said. “We found that the previous structure that we had was not effective enough to really expand the potential of a market like India.”
“We prefer to grant India maximum visibility,” he added. “So, basically the team that is also managing the Southeast Asia markets is now owning India and India is for sure the main engine of this region.”
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A new market emerges
Over the last year, the company has also appointed a country manager for India, Aayush Tiwari. It has also allowed potential customers to test out Ferrari cars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore so they can see if they are compatible with Indian roads and conditions.
It has also recently opened personalisation centres in Chennai and Ahmedabad that allow customers to personalise the interiors and exteriors of their Ferraris.
“When we look at how the wealth is growing in India at the moment, we see that basically the market to which this car can be addressing basically is becoming more and more relevant,” Mr. Bianchi said. “And when you look at the current penetration of this segment, it is almost nothing.”
According to Vahan data, 35 Ferrari cars were registered in India in 2024, which grew nearly 29% in a year to 45 units in 2025. The first nine months of 2026 have already seen 45 Ferrari units having been registered in India.
“So, we understand that there are a lot of people in India that can be tempted to enjoy this kind of experience,” he added.
Published – October 21, 2026 04:54 pm IST
