Ferrari is the world's most profitable carmaker per employee. Purosangue shown.
Image: Supplied
If you work for Ferrari, your contribution to the company’s net profit is significantly higher than your peers at other carmakers.
According to an extensive data analysis conducted by BestBrokers, Ferrari is, by a wide margin, the car company that makes the most money per employee.
The Italian sportscar specialist, which recently ventured into the crossover market, made a record net profit of $158 billion (R2.8 trillion) in 2024, which equates to $291,403 (R5.32 million) per employee.
This was three times higher than its nearest rival in that regard, with Toyota taking second place with a net profit of $85,268 (R1.56 million) per employee.
Tesla took third place with a net profit of $56,650 (R1,035,562) per employee, followed by O’Reilly Automotive ($25,650 / R468,000) and BYD ($6,123 / R116,000).
BYD’s ranking came in spite of it having a significantly larger annual net profit than Ferrari.
Profits per employee: the top five
Image: Supplied
The study also showed Toyota to be the most time-efficient company in the auto market, generating $1 million (R18.28m) in net profit every 16 minutes, followed by Tesla (1h14) and BYD (1h35).
But one can’t deny that Ferrari is in an enviable position, with its brand value enabling it to sell a limited number of cars at exceptionally high profit margins.
Mainstream companies like Toyota, Tesla and BYD have to rely on massive production volumes to generate their profits.
“Both profit per employee and time efficiency data highlight a growing trend that emphasises not just revenue and net profit, but also the importance of speed and agility in today’s competitive market,” the study’s authors said.
Just five car firms featured in the list of 250 largest companies by market capitalisation, with NVIDIA ranking highest with a net profit of R2.04 million (R37 million) per employee.
The tech giant was followed by the Altria Group $1.81m and Saudi Aramco R1.61m.
“In a year defined by AI breakthroughs, colossal layoffs, and serious cost-cutting across industries, sales, market cap, and headcount are no longer the epitome of power and success,” BestBrokers said.
“Since AI and automation have increasingly replaced traditional roles, companies are now able to achieve notable profits with fewer employees, transforming the rules of operational efficiency.”
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