To borrow a line from a Madness song from the 1980s, “I’ve been driving in my car, it’s not quite a Jaguar”, no, it’s a nice Ford Mondeo. Whilst driving in it this morning, listening to Classic FM the presenter noted some news in the papers that Ferrari, the luxury sports car manufacturer, had recorded record sales for the first quarter of 2012; a 13% increase over Q1 last year. This caught my attention, with all the financial doom and gloom being reported at the moment

  • Britain entering recession, a double dip recession at that
  • Euro zone crisis
  • Greece in political stalemate at the moment over the austerity measure

This news seemed to contradict what is being widely reported. I did a little more research

  • Ferrari enjoyed a record sales year in 2011, up 17.3% over 2010
  • Ferrari sales in the UK we’re up 31% year on year for Q1
  • Other premium automobile manufacturers such as Land Rover and BMW also enjoyed record sales in 2011

Whilst it the case of Land Rover and BMW the growth of sales in China and other developing markets may attribute for some of these record sales, there is nonetheless still quite a pull for premium and luxury vehicle in Europe.

Clearly, someone, somewhere is able to make money in what are widely reported to be lean times. What is it about them that separates them from the masses who are struggling? Is it that they have a different mindset, can do? Is it that they have more drive to make things happen? Have they found an offer that there customers desire, a new way of delivering a product or service that gives them a competitive advantage? Do the believe in or harness abundance, where many only see scarcity or austerity?

Lots of questions… What do you think? Comment and tell me