Would Enzo Hate This?
The Ferrari Luce just dropped, and the internet has thoughts. Most of them unprintable.
Unveiled in Rome on the anniversary of Ferrari's first ever race victory, the Luce is a four-door, five-seat fully electric Ferrari with 1050 hp, a 122 kWh battery, and a claimed 530 km range. It does 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds. The numbers are genuinely hard to argue with.
The design is a different story.
Jony Ive Did This
Ferrari handed the exterior to LoveFrom, the creative collective led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. It is the first time an outside team has taken the lead on a Ferrari road car, and the result is a lot to process.
The Luce is built around what Ferrari calls a "glass house" body, a smooth, flowing shell with floating aerodynamic wings front and rear. The idea is radical simplicity. What people are seeing is something closer to a family saloon. Comment sections are comparing it to a Peugeot, a Nissan Pulsar, a Fiat Multipla. One person says it looks like Ferrari partnered with Temu. Another checked the calendar to confirm it wasn't April.
This is the Jaguar situation playing out again. When Jaguar revealed the Type 00 concept and wiped its heritage off social media, the backlash was immediate and savage. The brand is still recovering. Ferrari is walking a similar line, betting that reinvention matters more than recognition. It is a gamble that has not paid off yet.
"Not Replacing Engines"
Here is what is telling about Ferrari's messaging. They have gone out of their way to frame the Luce as an addition to the range, not a replacement for combustion. The phrase they keep reaching for is "technological neutrality." Petrol and hybrid Ferraris continue alongside this.
That framing reveals the strategy. Ferrari knows their core buyer. They know the V12 faithful are not trading a 296 GTB for a silent four-door. The Luce is targeting someone who wants the badge alongside five seats and electric range. A new segment, as Ferrari puts it.
Whether those buyers want a car that looks like this is an open question.
1050 hp, Zero Goodwill
The engineering underneath is genuinely impressive. Four motors, one per wheel. Active suspension derived from the F80. A patented sound system that captures and amplifies real mechanical noise from the axles instead of playing a synthetic tone. Ferrari clearly put serious work into making this feel like a Ferrari to drive.
But cars sell on desire before they sell on specs. The Purosangue got roasted online before anyone drove it and turned out to be seriously good. The Luce might need that same patience.
The comments section, though, is not in a patient mood.
Ferrari's first electric car is here and the internet is furious. The Luce packs wild performance but a design that's leaving fans reaching for the Fiat Multipla comparisons.
Images via https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/media-centre
