Why Ferrari’s first electric car Luce is getting panned

Italian sports car maker Ferrari took the covers off its maiden electric car, the Luce, on May 26. The unveiling drew sharp reactions from around the world, as car enthusiasts compared it to Nissan LEAF, the Japanese automaker’s first EV.

The Luce, priced at a whopping $640,000 (Rs 6.8 crore), doesn’t look like a traditional Ferrari. The design, led by former Apple design head Jony Ive and Marc Newson, evoked scathing criticism of the legendary Italian marque.

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo called for the iconic Prancing Horse badge to be removed from the first Ferrari EV.

He is not alone. Even Italy’s transport minister Matteo Salvini agrees. “Electric, outrageously expensive (550 thousand euros!) and, from an aesthetic point of view, it speaks for itself... It looks like anything but a car from the Prancing Horse. And this is supposed to be “innovation”? Who knows what Enzo Ferrari would say…” Salvini wrote on X.

Japanese mass-market car manufacturer Nissan, too, took a potshot at Ferrari. “They say Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so thank you Ferrari,” it said in a post showcasing the two cars together. Nissan LEAF costs roughly $30,000 in the US.

Ferrari CEO backs $640,000 price tag

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has defended the Luce's $640,000 price tag, saying the model had generated strong interest among buyers, including new ultra-rich customers. After the Luce was unveiled on Monday, Ferrari's shares fell 8% on Tuesday. Speaking during a roundtable in Modena, Italy, Vigna said the pricing of the new Luce reflected the level of innovation and technology packed into the vehicle.

What’s new about Ferrari Luce?

The Luce, the first 5-seater Ferrari, is powered by four electric motors, one at each wheel. The EV can sprint from 0-100 kmph in 2.5 seconds and from 0-200 kmph in 6.8 seconds, while top speed is rated at 310 kmph. Ferrari claims a driving range of over 530 km. The Luce uses an 800-volt electrical architecture and a 122-kWh battery pack developed in-house at Maranello. Ferrari says the battery supports DC fast charging up to 350 kW and can recharge 70 kWh in around 20 minutes.

Purists disagree

In 2024, Jaguar Land Rover, the British luxury car maker owned by Tata Motors, faced a similar backlash after it released a 30-second teaser featuring models in bright outfits without a car of the company’s logo.

The backlash against Jaguar’s rebranding and the reaction to the Ferrari Luce are similar in that both reflect resistance from enthusiasts worried that iconic performance brands are moving too far from their traditional identity.

Jaguar faced criticism over its sweeping EV-era rebranding and radical new design language, with many arguing it had abandoned its heritage altogether. Ferrari, meanwhile, is facing skepticism mainly over the Luce’s unconventional styling.