Ferrari Luce EV Unveiled

An electric Ferrari is a massive leap for a brand that has stayed true to its roots, offering powerful ICE-based sportscar for almost 80 years. But it has to change with the times and an EV beckoned. The arrival of the Ferrari Luce has been promised for some time.

The Italian sportscar brand has been drip-feeding info to the public for months. We were even given a full view of the interior weeks ahead of time. The big moment for a full reveal arrived this week and most people were left scratching their heads.

With Ferrari Luce, we are once again redefining the limits of what is possible. Today, we are not simply unveiling a new car, we are inaugurating a chapter that turns our vision into reality, strengthening Ferrari’s tradition of anticipating and shaping the future. Such a leap forward in product innovation could only have been achieved through process innovation; this is why we chose to embark on new collaborations, such as the one with LoveFrom for the design. And, as always, our research and engineering excellence have been placed at the service of driving emotions, without compromise.
– John Elkann, President of Ferrari

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Lukewarm

The Ferrari Luce was shown to media at an event in Rome on Monday evening. At the same time the car was unveiled on a livestream that lasted less than two minutes. Most viewers we left wondering if there was a technical issues. Some questioned if we had been shown the right car. The Luce was not what anyone was expecting, and initial impressions were not overbearingly positive.

Design

The design of the Ferrari Luce was entrusted to LoveFrom, a design collective led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. LoveFrom was given the creative freedom needed to define the design direction of the project from the outset. The car is a four-door vehicle that is lower and longer than the company’s existing SUV, the Purosangue. It is said to seat five in complete comfort making it the first ever five-seater Ferrari ever. Previous models with rear seats ie Purosangue and FF have just two rear chairs.

Going down the EV route let Ferrari explore new avenues in terms of overall shape. A completely new, ground-up architecture gave the Centro Stile freedom to design without the need for an engine or transmission (more on this in a bit). There was also considerable consideration given to smoothing airflow. The Luce is reportedly the slipperiest Ferrari to go on sale to the public.

Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines – Enzo Ferrari

The end product is, however, what most people consider, quite generic in appearance. The floating front wing, elongated shape, fat rear haunches and dual-tone motif don’t tie the Luce in with anything that Ferrari has attempted before. We have no doubt that the Luce was designed to appeal to emerging markets (read: China) where EVs are far more popular that in other parts of the world. Many have commented that the overall appearance could be that of any EV maker.

Inside

Most agree that the cabin is the Luce’s most attractive aspect. The layout, which was heavily driven by LoveFrom, takes cues from older Ferraris. This includes the minimalist three-spoke steering with thin rim. There are analogue gauges in place as well. LoveFrom has completely bucked the trend of touchscreens, for which it must be applauded. The cabin is said to be tactile and offer premium materials. A 21-speaker 3 000 Watt sound system should make up for the lack of any engine noises… speak of which.

EV Drivetrain

The Luce is powered by four electric motors, one per axle. This should make for some interesting options when it comes to torque vectoring and delivering dynamic thrills. All up the motors produce a total of 772 kW along with 990 N.m of torque. This allows the 2,3-ton vehicle to blitz the standard 0-100 km/h test in jsut 2,5 seconds to 200 km/h in 6,8 sec and gone on to a top speed of 310 km/h. Thanks to a 122 kWh battery pack the Luce is said to have a max range in excess of 530 km.

Owners’ Comment

We reached out to friends of Double Apex, most of whom own more than a few Prancing Horses. Their comments, below, all lean in the same direction.

“Pictures often don’t do a car justice but to me it’s not a Ferrari.” – S

“If Ferrari had launched a cool city run around car, say in Fiat 500 style and priced it at 100k they would sell tons and it would make sense… And it would be very cool. They missed the mark by miles. I do get why they didn’t go the hypercar route… but then they got confused somewhere in the middle. It’s a mess in its current form.” – J

“Ferrari should be applauded for the concept. After all, it is contemporary and they have applied their mind and resources. The finished product looks disappointing on the outside. Why does a four-seater look like a low rider Purosangue and too much like a Tesla? The rear section and lights, traditionally round, beautiful.” – P

“I am most disappointed in the shape of that car, that is far from Ferrari. It looks like any brand of electric car, even BYD has better looking electric cars. I am very disappointed in the Luce.” – V

“The new Luce has left me speechless and it’s not for the correct reasons. Hopefully Ferrari treats this as a one off experiment and not the future of the brand. I think every old Ferrari’s value just went up.” – G