This photo taken on Aug 8, 2021 from the official website of Ferrari shows the new hybrid SF90 Spider sports car.

ROME - The new Ferrari SF90 Spider sports car was recently unveiled at the Italian embassy in Beijing, one of the key markets for the iconic brand. However, the SF90 Spider is not the traditional version of the famed roadster, but an electric hybrid.

This year, the European Union started the process of phasing out the sale of traditional gasoline and diesel cars by 2035. This includes high-powered sports cars like those made by Ferrari.

For all sportscar makers, but especially for Ferrari, the sound of the engine is a signature characteristic ... the sound implies raw power. Coming up with an alternative is as much a part of the equation for hybrid or electric cars as the more technical aspects.

Alberto Sabbatini, automobile sector analyst and vice-president of the jury for the International Car of the Year

The switch to hybrid vehicles - and eventually to fully electric vehicles - represents a challenge for high-end sportscar makers like Ferrari. The company, based in the central Italian city of Modena, is world-famous for making cars with powerful and finely-tuned engines known for the way they roar. Yet that engine feel and sound won't be there in cars using whisper-quiet hybrid and electric engines.

"For all sportscar makers, but especially for Ferrari, the sound of the engine is a signature characteristic," Alberto Sabbatini, an automobile sector analyst and vice-president of the jury for the International Car of the Year, told Xinhua. "The sound implies raw power. Coming up with an alternative is as much a part of the equation for hybrid or electric cars as the more technical aspects."

The new hybrid SF90 Spider is a "worthy heir" to the Ferrari models that preceded it, Sabbatini said. The car can drive full speed for up to 25 km on electric power alone, in what he called "absolute silence." In hybrid mode, the engine still roars, albeit to a lesser degree. However, in electric mode it is completely silent.

"This is a changeover that sportscar companies are fearful of," Giampiero Testoni, executive director and chief technical officer for Energica, a company that specializes in electric vehicles, told Xinhua. "The change won't be easy, but it has to happen."

Potential solutions include a recorded version of the engine sound, Sabbatini said. This would not mimic the traditional engine sound, but would be "non-intrusive," with a "futuristic aspect." It would be developed with the same attention to detail and engineering excellence that has made Ferrari one of the most recognized car brands in the world, Sabbatini added.

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"Sports cars won't disappear as a result of the policy eliminating internal combustion engines, but they will have to adapt," he said.

The European Union's policy is part of a broader strategy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to tackle climate change. However, the 2035 deadline only targets sales of vehicles with gasoline and diesel engines, meaning cars with traditional engines will remain on the road for many years after that date.

Back in Beijing at the unveiling of the new hybrid Ferrari SF90 Spider, Italian Ambassador Luca Ferrari, who is not related to the family that founded the car company, was on hand for the event. Also present was Giuseppe Cattaneo, head of Ferrari's division for the Greater China area.

The ambassador predicted great things for hybrid Ferraris in the world's largest automobile market. Last year, one in 20 new Ferraris sold globally was in Greater China, a figure that percentage analysts predict will rapidly grow in the coming years.

"Brands like Ferrari represent the quintessence of what Italy is able to produce in terms of design, elegance, refinement, style, and above all, technology and innovation at its highest levels," said the ambassador. "Ferrari's success in China is a source of pride."

Testoni agreed, saying that for the new generation of Ferraris to succeed, the Chinese market will be essential -- in more ways than one.

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"China is very important, partially because it is a technological country and an important market for high-end products like Ferrari," Testoni said. "It is also an essential supplier of many of the parts that are used to build these vehicles."