MILAN, (Reuters) – Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna on Tuesday praised Tesla’s latest Roadster sports car presentation, saying the redesign showed the auto industry had room for daring innovation even in a mature market.
With stunts, including airborne manoeuvres, Tesla last week made public a Roadster equipped with SpaceX-derived thrusters, and Chief Executive Elon Musk said production would start in 2028.
The financial market reaction was mixed. Tesla shares initially rose, but financial analysts said delivery was still some way off after years of false starts.
Ferrari, meanwhile, is trying to win over sceptics of its own after its shares fell in Milan in May when it revealed its Luce, the luxury sports car maker’s first fully electric vehicle.
It was developed in collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive and the team from his LoveFrom studio.
Vigna made the case that risk-taking is necessary and that for Ferrari’s Luce, outside influence had been vital.
“If we had worked on our own, we wouldn’t have done what we did. In other words, we tackled a whole series of questions and came up with some answers prompted by people who were observing us from the outside,” he said.
Speaking in an interview at an automotive conference organised by Italian magazine Quattroruote, he gave the Tesla launch 10 out of 10 for technology and 10 out of 10 for presentation.
“It certainly shows that also in the automotive world there’s still a lot to be done. We have to keep dreaming,” Vigna said. “As a European, thank you for showing us how that, even in an old world, you can still innovate and dare.”
Vigna spoke on Tuesday via videoconference from India, where Ferrari hosted a client event, and said interest in the Italian brand was strong.
Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; editing by Barbara Lewis
