Maranello has typically relied on the shrill sounds of its V8 and V12 engines to keep any radio static on the industry's channel from lasting too long, but recently it appears that the Italian automaker has been left speechless in the wake of the unveiling of Lamborghini's second SUV and first mass-market offering in that segment, the Urus. Thankfully, that intermission has ceased. In an interview with Bloomberg, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne claimed that we can expect a response from the Prancing Horse.

Word about a Ferrari SUV (or FUV to be exact) is not something we haven't heard before. The revelation Marchionne did uncover, however, is that Ferrari is also planning to garner more sales in the exploding ultra-luxury segment by unveiling a fully-electric supercar to pair with the FUV. "If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari will be the first," Marchionne said. "People are amazed at what Tesla did with a supercar: I'm not trying to minimize what Elon did but I think it's doable by all of us." Marchionne's views are not exactly indicative of a fear of Tesla he harbors, but on the other hand the upcoming Roadster does seem to tout performance numbers that should send any hypercar manufacturer into a frenzy of doubt.

While Musk doesn't always follow through on his self-imposed deadlines, his performance figure promises are rarely off the mark and if they are, they land in the camp of better-than-expected performance. In order to develop the EV, Ferrari will begin with more hybrid models to make the switch to full electrification easier. "We do it because we have to do it," Marchionne said. "Going from there to an electric is easy." Though it's hard to instantly hate the thought of a silent Ferrari ripping around the Fiorano test track, it's unlikely that whoever replaces Marchionne when he retires in 2019 will change this trajectory for Ferrari.