Italian luxury carmaker Ferrari is experiencing a massive backlash to the launch earlier this week of its first ever electric vehicle (EV), the Ferrari Luce.
Not only is the Ferrari Luce the carmaker’s first EV, but it is also its first sedan, seating five people and boasting four doors. And Ferrari was obviously very proud of its accomplishments, as suggested by the over 10,000 words the carmaker’s press team considered necessary to extol the car’s many virtues.
The fully electric 2027 Ferrari Luce boasts four engines, one for each wheel, with a combined output of 772 kilowatts (kW) and maximum torque of 999Nm – though with a phenomenally impressive 11,500Nm at the wheels.
Power is split between front and rear, with 210kW/280Nm at the front and 620kW/710Nm at the rear.
A high capacity 122kWh battery provides range of up to 530 kilometres (WLTP), while acceleration from 0-100km/h takes only 2.5 seconds, or 6.8 seconds up to 200km/h, on its way to a top speed of 310km/h.
While the Luce is all-wheel drive, the front motors are sacrificed for rear-wheel drive when in ‘Range’ mode, which limits the power to 320kW and a top speed of “only” 260km/h. In ‘Tour’ ‘mode, available power increases to 460kW with all-wheel drive and a top speed of 260km/h. ‘Performance’ mode takes all the restrictions off to let the car reach its maximum specifications.
The drive modes don’t aim to mimic traditional gearshift changes, but instead rely on “torque-control paddles” that control the car’s torque for progressive acceleration, combined with power from regenerative braking which can adjust the flow of energy recovery.
The Ferrari Luce weighs in at 2260kg (kerb) and measures 5,026mm in length, 1,999mm wide (without mirrors), and 1,544mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,961mm.
“Thousands of deeply considered details unite to create a singular driving experience,” apparently, according to Ferrari’s press team, with the interior combining precision-engineered mechanical buttons, dials, toggles, and switches with multifunctional digital displays developed with Samsung Display.
The OLED screens were designed by Samsung Display exclusively for the Ferrari Luce and spread across three display areas in the cabin – the binnacle, the central panel, and the rear panel, with a total of four panels measuring 12.9-inch, 12-inch, 10.1-inch, and 6.3-inch.
As mentioned, however, the debut of the Ferrari Luce has been met with a crescendo of complaints from Ferrari purists who have taken issue with the car’s design.
Designed by LoveFrom, the design collective led by Sir Jony Ive – who is most well-known for his designs at Apple, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch – and Marc Newson, the Ferrari Luce is not garnering the approval that Ferrari will have hoped for.
While much of the furore is being generated on the perfectly sane landscape of social media, there are some opinions which probably mean a little more than others.
For example, former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo told Italian media that he hoped they remove the Prancing Horse logo from the car like the company did with the Dino in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
“What are we supposed to do about China? This is certainly one car the Chinese will not copy from us,” di Montezemolo said.
Echoing di Montezemolo’s comments, Italian transport and infrastructure minister Matteo Salvini took X (formerly Twitter) to invoke Ferrari’s iconic founder, Enzo Ferrari.
“Electric, incredibly expensive (€550,000!), and aesthetically speaking, it speaks for itself… It looks anything but a Prancing Horse car. And this is supposed to be “innovation”? I wonder what Enzo Ferrari would say…”
And while the exterior design does bring to mind Apple’s iMac from the ‘90s (also co-designed by Jony Ive), marking something of a detour for the otherwise iconic carmaker, it would be difficult to describe the car as the ugliest EV unveiled in recent years.
Though, for a price tag somewhere around the €550,000 ($AUD900,000) mark, you’re probably going to want to be confident in yourself before you put down the cash.
Investors, on the other hand, are less than impressed, with the company’s share price down 7 per cent since the car’s unveiling.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.