Ferrari has revealed the Luce, the first fully electric road car in the company’s history and arguably the most significant shift in Maranello’s philosophy since the arrival of the mid-engined V8 road car in the 1970s. Yet while the absence of an internal combustion engine inevitably dominates headlines, Ferrari insists the Luce should not be viewed simply as ‘the electric Ferrari’, but as an entirely new type of Ferrari made possible only through an EV architecture.
Unveiled in Rome on 25 May – 79 years to the day after Ferrari claimed its first competition victory with the 125 S at the Gran Premio di Roma – the Luce introduces a four-door, five-seat layout on a bespoke EV platform developed entirely in-house. It is only the second official four-door Ferrari after the Purosangue, but the first to accommodate five adults thanks to the packaging advantages afforded by the flat-floor battery architecture.
The styling represents a clear departure from recent Ferrari design language and it has been created in collaboration with Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s LoveFrom collective, working alongside Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni. The Luce adopts a clean, minimalist form defined by a vast shell-like glasshouse and floating front and rear aerodynamic wings. Ferrari says the EV platform allowed designers far greater freedom in both proportion and cabin space, while aerodynamic development focused heavily on reducing drag to maximise range.
Below the bodywork sits an 800-volt architecture with four independent electric motors – one driving each wheel – producing a combined 1050bhp. Ferrari quotes 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds, 0-124mph in 6.8 seconds and a top speed in excess of 193mph, while a 122kWh battery provides a claimed range of more than 330 miles. Ferrari has developed its own permanent magnet motors, inverters and battery pack in Maranello, while the four-motor arrangement enables fully independent torque vectoring and regenerative braking at each wheel.
The Luce introduces a new ‘Torque Shift Engagement’ system, allowing the driver to modulate acceleration and regenerative braking via steering-wheel paddles. Rather than simulating gearshifts, Ferrari describes it as a new ‘torque language’ designed to preserve progression and involvement – something many high-performance EVs struggle to replicate.
Ferrari has also devoted considerable attention to sound, as the Luce amplifies real vibrations and harmonics generated by the driveline itself using sensors mounted within the axles, rather than generating artificial sounds. The result, Ferrari claims, is an authentic acoustic signature that remains mechanically linked to the car’s operation rather than digitally fabricated.
At 2260kg, the Luce is heavy by Ferrari standards, although Maranello claims the low centre of gravity, active suspension and sophisticated chassis control systems give it agility comparable to a car around 400kg lighter. Four-wheel steering, active aerodynamics and a new Vehicle Control Unit coordinating powertrain and chassis functions 200 times per second.
The interior follows the restrained exterior approach, mixing machined aluminium switches and analogue-style controls with OLED displays developed alongside Samsung. Ferrari has deliberately retained physical buttons and toggles in key areas, acknowledging criticism levelled at the touch-sensitive controls used on some recent models.
Whether traditional Ferrari buyers will embrace a four-door electric car is the real question. Prices are yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected to start at £450,000.
A few thoughts from our man on the ground in Rome
Our man on the ground had never seen such a strictly enforced embargo before. No cameras and stickered-up phones and laptops ensured that when the images were finally released they were only Ferrari’s own tightly controlled angles and framing. It’s almost as if they knew the Luce is highly spec and angle sensitive.
Still, the atmosphere was spirited with prominent Ferrari folk in attendance including John Elkann, though if Flavio Manzoni was there he sure kept a low profile. Man of the moment Marc Newson was definitely there, overheard assuring some of the doubters that the design would grow on them. Sadly, Jony Ive was not. Recovering from surgery apparently. We trust all goes well there. Whispered reactions to the car were not as mixed as some may suggest. The core problem being that bar the badges the Luce has no visual links to any Ferrari we’ve ever seen before. It’s a great piece of product design but is it a Ferrari? As for the technology beneath its extended glasshouse and floating exosuit, it’s all cutting edge performance EV. Ferrari officials were quick to say that to drive it is to love it. There is supreme confidence in the parts out of Maranello and less concern for the reaction to the bits from LoveFrom’s office in San Fran. That said, the interior is as special and as joyfully tactile as you could hope for. It will age beautifully – Wayne Batty
For more info see ferrari.com
