Ferrari Unveils ‘Luce,’ Its First EV, Designed With Jony Ive Ferrari’s first all‑electric car, the Luce, has landed as both a technical milestone and an identity crisis for one of Italy’s most storied brands. The four-door, five-seat EV promises supercar numbers but has triggered fierce debate over what still counts as a Ferrari.

Timeline: From reveal to backlash

On May 25, Ferrari officially revealed the Luce, confirming it as the company’s first EV and its first five-seat, four-door model, designed in collaboration with Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s firm LoveFrom. The car uses four electric motors producing 1,035 horsepower, with a starting price of €550,000 in Italy, making it the most expensive Ferrari to date.

Early coverage highlighted the Luce’s unconventional form factor and its blend of minimalist exterior with a control‑rich interior. On May 26, detailed first impressions stressed that it “feels more like an SUV than a traditional sports car,” while praising its amplified, non-synthesized EV sound and estimating a range of about 330 miles on an 800‑volt architecture.

As photos spread, design controversy quickly eclipsed the engineering story. Ars Technica dubbed it an “amazing interior, controversial exterior,” calling the Luce “the most divisive yet” among non–two-seater Ferraris and noting that its first‑ever EV, four-door, five-seat layout would be “anathema to some Ferrari fans.”

Design wars: Jony Ive vs Ferrari tradition

The Verge framed the launch as a radical aesthetic break: “Jony Ive’s Ferrari looks nothing like a Ferrari,” arguing the smooth, rounded body could “easily have emerged from the design halls of Cupertino” and likening it to Apple hardware. A follow‑up piece went further, asking “How Ferrari bungled the design of its first EV,” reflecting howls from traditionalists who see the Luce as a betrayal of the brand’s aggressive styling language.

A Vergecast episode titled “Jony Ive’s Funky Ferrari” captured the split: hosts debated whether Ive’s ideas “got out of hand” and whether Ferrari was “desperate to run away from its legacy,” even as they called the Luce “one of the most interesting, surprising cars of the year.”

Italian angst and the Agnelli legacy

By May 30, the debate had widened from styling to national identity. The Financial Times reported that “Ferrari’s new EV sparks Italian angst over Agnelli legacy,” as critics accused John Elkann of steering the Agnelli empire—and Ferrari—away from its Italian roots just as it embraces electrification and global luxury markets.

Amid the uproar, a rare consensus has formed: the Luce marks a break point. For supporters, it is the necessary, bold future of a zero‑emissions Ferrari. For detractors, it is a beautiful Apple product wearing the wrong badge.

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