Ferrari Unveils First Electric Vehicle, the ‘Luce’, Designed With Jony Ive Ferrari’s first all-electric car, the Luce, has ignited a clash between tradition and reinvention, as the Italian marque enters the EV era with a vehicle that challenges what many fans think a Ferrari should look and feel like.

Early reveals and design direction

After months of teasers, Ferrari fully unveiled the Luce on May 25, presenting it as not only its first EV but also its first five-seat, four-door model, with design led inside and out by Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s studio, LoveFrom. Ferrari granted LoveFrom the ability to “define the design direction of the project from the outset,” resulting in a minimalist exterior and an interior packed with physical controls rather than touchscreens.

Technical first impressions highlighted four electric motors producing 1,035 horsepower, an 800-volt architecture, and a starting price of €550,000 in Italy, making it Ferrari’s most expensive car to date. Testers noted that the Luce feels more like an SUV than a traditional sports car, and praised its sound, which amplifies real motor vibrations instead of using fully synthesized audio like many EVs.

Debut and immediate backlash

When Ferrari formally presented the Luce in Rome on May 26, coverage stressed how radical the styling shift was. One analysis bluntly concluded that “Jony Ive’s Ferrari looks nothing like a Ferrari,” likening the smooth, rounded form to an Apple product and calling it “as close as we’ll get to an Apple car.” Longtime Ferrari enthusiasts reacted with “howling” criticism online, decrying the departure from the brand’s traditionally aggressive aesthetic.

Debate over whether Ferrari went too far

As reactions spread, commentators framed the Luce as one of the year’s most “interesting, surprising cars,” noting that “a lot of people really hate it” even as they praised its ambition and new technology. A follow-up critique argued that Ferrari had mishandled the styling shift, summarizing the controversy under the headline “How Ferrari bungled the design of its first EV.”

Across these perspectives, the Luce emerges as both a technological milestone and a design gamble, forcing Ferrari—and its fans—to decide how much of the past they are willing to sacrifice to claim a place in the electric future.

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