Ferrari bets on generational tech shift with Luce five-seat EV

Summary

  • EV to cost 550,000 euros, deliveries to start in Q4
  • Luce is Ferrari’s first five-seater, has large trunk
  • EV has top speed of over 310 km/h, range over 500 km

ROME, (Reuters) – Ferrari presented its first fully electric car on Monday, marking a high-stakes ‌shift by the luxury sports car maker as competitors including Porsche and Lamborghini scale back their EV ambitions, citing weak demand.

The four-door Luce, Italian for ‘light’, was developed with the help of former Apple design chief Jony ​Ive and his collective LoveFrom, and is Ferrari’s first five-seater.

Ferrari aims to appeal to ​families with deep pockets, offering them comfortable seats, high-end tech and a ⁠600-litre boot. Deliveries of the long-awaited Luce, priced at €550,000 ($640,000), are due to begin in the ​fourth quarter of 2026.

“It’s the result of five years of work,” CEO Benedetto Vigna told ​more than 200 reporters gathered in Rome.

The Luce, which amplifies natural vibration sounds from its EV powertrain to maintain the visceral appeal of a traditional Ferrari, marks a gamble that a generation steeped in technology and AI, ​and less attached to its trademark 12- and 8-cylinder engine legacy, will shift to high-tech ​luxury EVs.

Ferrari is hoping that will also give it the opportunity to move further into markets such ‌as China, ⁠where EVs are already widespread and big petrol cars are heavily taxed.

“In our client base there are many … who are still looking for something completely different, to be used in different moments of life,” said Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer Enrico Galliera.

“It’s absolutely stunning,” Galliera ​added of the car, ​which features four ⁠electric motors — one per wheel — which help deliver more than 1,000 horsepower, a top speed above 310 kph, and increased agility for a ​car weighing more than 2.2 tons.

Ferrari said the Luce has a range ​of over ⁠500 kilometres.

A light show launch featured five Luces, painted from Ferrari-red to white and light blue, which mark a break from the carmaker’s aggressive, muscular, signature sporty style with a larger body ⁠and expansive, ​glass-led design.

The Luce interior defers to traditional Ferrari luxury, with ​leather, glass and anodised aluminium surfaces as well as several physical controls which differ from the all-digital, touch-led approach ​of Tesla and some Chinese EV makers.

($1 = 0.8593 euros)

Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; Editing by Alexander Smith