Ferraris are fast. That's what we've come to expect. But their manufacturer wants to make them faster... just not the way you might think, in this case.

Speaking with Motoring, Ferrari executive Dieter Knechtel said that the Prancing Horse marque is preparing to start replacing its cars quicker than it ever has before, shortening their lifecycles and speeding up their rate of replacement. "We want to take opportunities in the market if we have the chance to take them," said Knechtel, the head of Ferrari's Asian regional operations. "We have accelerated our pace of development, which is a good thing."

The company's mid-engined V8 models, for example, typically stick around for about five or six years. But Ferrari only waited four years before revealing the new F8 Tributo as the replacement for the 488 GTB. That pace looks to be the new normal in Maranello, or even speed up more.

And Knechtel said it has nothing to do with the competition. Arch-rival Lamborghini kept the Gallardo on the market, in various iterations, for over a decade before replacing it with the Huracan five years ago. And the 650S served as McLaren's core model for less than four years before being replaced with the 720S.

"We are looking at what the other brands are doing, but this is not the reason for faster model turnaround," said Knechtel. "We're diversifying the model range in areas where we haven't previously been in the past."

To its core range of mid-engined V8 (F8 Tributo), front-engined V12 (812 Superfast), and four seat grand touring (GTC4 Lusso) models, Ferrari has in recent years added the California/Portofino cabriolet, the new top-of-the-line SF90 Stradale, and is preparing to roll out its first crossover. And from the looks of it, we can expect more to be rolled out at a faster pace.