Twin Ferrari 612 Scagliettis Blast Off on China...

[Variance]

Link: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=107058

SHANGHAI — Two Ferrari 612 Scaglietti models took off this week covered in confetti and surrounded by drummers and dragons as part of the Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles.

The Ferraris, driven by teams of Chinese and international journalists, will spend the next month driving to the far corners of China, returning to Shanghai on October 30.

The Italian automaker claims the event is the first ever tour of China sponsored by a car manufacturer. The tour celebrates 2006 Italian Year in China and promotes the upcoming 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, via stickers on the cars' windshields. The tour is supported by the China National Tourism Administration and Fiat China.

The event also promotes Ferrari in China. The automaker has 10 Chinese dealers and expects to sell 80 vehicles there this year. However, in the next couple of years, as wealth continues to grow in China, Ferrari expects the country to be its fifth or sixth most important market.

What this means to you: First we send our cars to China, and now we spread our showmanship and public relations antics throughout the country.