- Ferrari unveiled the Luce, its first all-electric sports car, starting at $640,000
- The Luce is Ferrari’s first five-seater and features a radically new design by LoveFrom
- Public and political reactions were largely negative, criticizing its unconventional styling
Luxury sports car maker Ferrari officially unveiled the Luce on Monday (May 25), its first-ever all-electric vehicle, with a starting price of $640,000 (Rs 6.15 crore). Designed in collaboration with LoveFrom, the agency founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive, the Luce marks a significant departure from Ferrari's signature style language as the brand's first five-seater. Named after the Italian word for “light,” the car was intentionally designed to look “entirely new,” a bold move that has drawn polarised reactions. Ferrari shares fell more than 8 per cent on the Milan stock market and by over 5 per cent in New York on Tuesday (May 26).
The internet quickly erupted over the vehicle's rather unconventional styling. On social media platforms like X, motor enthusiasts drew comparisons to consumer gadgets, with some joking that the car looks like a "magic mouse" on wheels. Others described it as "straight to the junkyard trash".
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the former chairman of Ferrari, made it clear that he was not in tune with the decision-making at the company he led between 1991 and 2014.
"If I said what I really think, I'd harm Ferrari. We're risking the destruction of a myth, I'm very sorry about that. I hope they at least remove the Prancing Horse from that car," Montezemolo told reporters, as per a report in Techspot.
However, the Luce is not without its strong defenders. Automotive experts at Motor1 praised the vehicle, urging critics to appreciate Ferrari's willingness to break engineering boundaries.
"Its radical exterior is unlike anything we've ever seen, and its ultra-minimalist interior could help set a new standard for interior design. Love it or hate it, the Luce is going to be impossible to ignore."
As it turns out, Ferrari anticipated a potential backlash. Emanuele Carando, the company's global marketing director, said: 'We are going to have some great lovers and we are going to have a lot of hater. We do expect this, and I think this is also good."
Piero Ferrari, vice chairman of Ferrari, added: "Those who want to criticise can criticise, but I would reply: see it and try it. Once you have driven it, you'll probably change your mind."
Ferrari Luce Specs
Measuring 5019 mm in length and sitting lower than the Purosangue, the Luce features a teardrop-shaped passenger cell enclosed within an aluminium body. The front section has a wing-like structure, while the hood and windshield merge seamlessly into a single flowing surface.
At the heart of the Luce is a quad-motor setup, with each wheel powered independently. Developed entirely in-house, these permanent-magnet motors draw from Ferrari's experience in Formula 1 and endurance racing. The Luce also supports fast charging up to 350 kW and offers an eight-year unlimited-mileage warranty on the powertrain.
