Official: Naza Italia Dropped As Ferrari Distributors In Malaysia

Following rife rumours and hearsay over the past few weeks, we now have confirmation that Naza Italia Sdn Bhd (Naza Italia) has been dropped as official Malaysian Ferrari brand representatives by its principal.

CariCarz.com had reached out directly to both firms earlier today to seek confirmation and clarification. Ferrari S.p.A., through its Ferrari Far East Pte Ltd regional subsidiary, were the first to respond to our enquiries and confirm the matter.

One of Naza Italia's latest Ferrari models launched locally, the Ferrari 296 GTS. Read about it by clicking here. You can also read our track-test report of the hard-topped 296 GTB by clicking here.

L-R: Other Ferrari models launched by Naza Italia in recent years include the Roma, 812 GTS, F8 Spider, and the manic SF90 Stradale PHEV supercar.

This marks the end of Naza Italia’s long-standing and arguably illustrious association with perhaps the world’s most renowned Italian prancing horse marque, which stretches all the way back to 2008.

According to the famed prancing horse marque’s regional arm, its business partnership with Naza Italia will officially end on April 8, 2023. Ferrari adds that Naza Italia will continue to fulfil its responsibilities to customers for sales and after-sales activities until then.

“During this handover period, Ferrari S.p.A. will establish a point of contact for sales and after sales-related issues for our customers until we confirm our new partner,” adds Ferrari, likely indicating that they are still in the midst of selecting a new importer and retailer.

Additionally, Ferrari notes that the decision to drop Naza Italia was driven by its desire to renew its brand representation in Malaysia. It also reaffirmed its commitment towards the Malaysian market and will continue to meet the demands of and engage with customers here.

At present, neither Naza Italia or its parent company (Naza Group), has officially responded, but an insider has confirmed with CariCarz.com that an official statement will be issued soon. Said insider has also hinted that a new direction for the firm will be announced then too.

Presently, Naza Italia’s commitment towards its other Italian marque, by which we mean Maserati, remains. The firm just launched the Italian trident marque latest Grecale compact performance SUV last week.

We’ll have more details as soon as Naza Italia issues its statement later this week. Stay tuned for more updates.

UPDATE - 8 March @ 7PM

Upon our request, Naza Italia has finally issued an official statement regarding the end of their association with Ferrari. The firm notes that said conclusion was agreed upon mutually, with Naza Italia reaffirming its continued commitment to serve existing Ferrari customers until the 8 April deadline.

“The parting ways with Ferrari is timely for us as it will enable us to focus on our other brands and serves well for our other brands as we will be able to reallocate resources to brands that fit into our automotive business strategy,” adds the statement, likely indicating renewed focus towards other brands such as Maserati.

It is unclear if Naza Italia will pursue another brand in place of Ferrari. Besides Maserati, it appears that the Naza Automotive Group will continue its efforts for its existing brands, those being Ducati (Next Bike Sdn Bhd), Suzuki (Naza Eastern Motors), as well as its official Mercedes-Benz dealership chain (NZ Wheels).