Ferrari sales hit the skids at home

The Ferrari, the ultimate status symbol, is suffering in its home country, with sales in Italy slumping by 56% last year.

Only 248 of the pricey cars -- which can command over $300,000 -- sold in Italy last year, according to a report in the Guardian. Maserati, another luxury automaker, also suffered, with sales plunging 72% to only 115 units. 

Italy may have been the exception for Ferrari, with the country hurting from the eurozone crisis and higher taxes for auto purchases, according to the report. 

"Once again, the exception is Italy where we have witnessed a drop partly due to the economic crisis, but also to a hostile environment for luxury goods which have long been, and continue to be, an important resource for the country," said Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.

And it's not only luxury car sales that are suffering: Italy's overall auto sales slipped 19.9% in 2012, marking the industry's worst year since 1979.

At the heart of the problem may be Italy's bigger economic issues: Italians have seen their standard of living fall, while unemployment for young people is over 36%, according to Reuters. The Italian economy has shrunk for five consecutive quarters, and, for more than a decade, has served as the euro zone's most sluggish economy.

While car sales are lagging in Italy, the U.S. auto industry witnessed its best sales streak since 1973. Auto sales may have jumped about 9.8% in December, marking three straight years of growth of at least 10%. 

Demand is also growing for luxury cars from U.S. buyers. Many luxury models witnessed record sales in 2012, with the BMW Group selling the most high-end cars for a second year in a row, according to MotorAuthority.com. 

BMW's sales jumped 13.5% last year to 281,460 auto sales, while Mercedes-Benz cars saw a 15.4% rise in demand. Ferrari, which didn't make the list of the top 10 luxury makers in 2012, typically sells only several thousand cars per year, with about 1,900 sold to U.S. drivers in 2011, according to Fiat's annual report.

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