The auto industry is struggling these days because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sales are down in every region and they're not expected to recover for the foreseeable future. Luxury and exotic brands are equally affected, such as Ferrari. Fortunately, it had a very good 2019 that will certainly help sustain in during these tough times.

A new report coming from Fiat Group World, a non-official website that monitors sales of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ferrari, reports that Ferrari sold a total of 10,131 cars in 2019 and each car had a 23.2 percent operational margin. This translates to 86,369 euros in profit per car, or $94,474 according to the latest exchange rates. Sound like a lot of money earned for every new Ferrari sold? It is, but 2018 was an even better year when a total of $94,947 in profit per car was made. So, what was the secret to Ferrari's phenomenal success?

It boils down the ideal combination of advanced new technologies, adapting to market changes, and marketing. Remember, the Ferrari brand itself is already one of the most powerful in the world. But how are Ferrari's profit numbers compared to other automakers?

The website explains that BMW, for example, would have to sell 30 cars in order to equal the earnings for just one Ferrari. Nissan? Try 926 cars. Other automakers fall in between those figures though the ranges are still very wide. Volkswagen would have to sell 56 vehicles, Mercedes-Benz 67, while Ford is at 908. Obviously this current year will likely see very different figures because of COVID-19, but this is something even the most powerful automakers can do little to nothing about.

Another reason why Ferrari was celebrating 2019 was that for the first time ever it exceeded 10,000 units in sales. This resulted in net revenue of 3.766 billion euros. That just over a 10 percent increase from 2018. However, North America sales were down slightly but Europe, the Middle East, and Africa all did very well. But there's another reason completely unrelated to coronavirus why 2020 will likely be a slower year: fewer new models will be launched. Last year, the Ferrari Roma, SF90 Stradale, and 812 GTS were all revealed. The Ferrari Purosangue SUV is due in 2021.