Ferrari Luce, the first electric car in the history of the brand, has created a heated discussion on the Internet, as comments and opinions about the design continue to bounce around the web.
The Luce, the $650,000 electric sedan that Ferrari unveiled with pomp and circumstance at the Quirinale in Rome on Monday, has paid dearly for its behind-the-scenes look. Since Monday, the automaker has been plagued by a flurry of complaints and doubts about the Luce. It’s not just the price—high even for a Ferrari—but what the car represents and how it fits into the brand’s long and storied history. The day after the EV debut, Ferrari stock fell 8 percent.
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the former chairman of Ferrari, said, “We are in danger of the destruction of a legend.” Carlo Calenda, an Italian senator and former economy minister of the country, called the exemption “an insult to beauty and technology,” and used the opportunity to attack John Elkann—head of the Agnelli family, which has a controlling stake in Ferrari—and his management of the family’s assets. Closing the rally was Matteo Salvini, who as Italy’s transport minister felt compelled to intervene. His negative assessment, accompanied by the plea of Enzo Ferrari, shows that anything can be said about Luce.
Despite what one might think, the Luce is a very different car from its predecessor. It weighs almost a ton more than the hybrid, uses four electric motors (one for the wheels), and is designed to seat five people. Its ability to sprint from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.5 seconds is impressive; the rapid acceleration even required Ferrari to consult with NASA to keep the sensation of such acceleration from being physically pleasant. The “engine note” inside the car uses computer generated sounds.
We discussed the disruptive and divisive Luce with Maurizio Corbi, an automotive designer with over 30 years of experience. Corbi, who trained at the industrial design company Bertone and later became a car designer for Pininfarina, explains why the Ferrari Luce caused a polarized reaction, both among the interior and the general public.
“I suspect it’s a powerful marketing strategy,” Corbi said. “They threw a rock in the lake, and that’s all people talk about. I don’t remember the same.”
“The world of cars, and design in particular, follows a fine line. It’s always changing, but there’s always a need for culture rooted in time. Ferrari, when it comes to road cars, Pininfarina. The brand’s greatest works of art have that signature. [Ferrari’s] the current design director, Flavio Manzoni, has been able to innovate while observing that tradition. I am afraid that he is also affected by this project, because it is very far from the way that Ferrari has taken in recent years.”
