Said to be redefining the limits of what is possible, Ferrari unveiled the battery electric Luce in Rome on Monday.
The Ferrari Luce is claimed not to just be an “electric Ferrari” but an entirely new Ferrari.
One that is designed for deeper engagement and higher performance, with a unique and recognisable character in a modern, electrically driven, world.
In keeping with tradition, Ferrari chose to engineer, develop and manufacture the main components in-house. From the electric engines to the battery pack, every element was created in Maranello to guarantee quality, control and uniqueness.
The project includes more than 60 new patents, testifying to Ferrari’s technical excellence and to a vision that also looks to long-term value. In the future, Ferrari will provide assistance on all electric components, including batteries, in line with the Ferrari Forever philosophy.
Designed by Apple
Despite being done in collaboration with Ferrari’s in‑house Design Studio headed by Flavio Manzoni, critics of the car are harking on the fact that the Ferrari Luce was designed by LoveFrom and looks nothing like what the Tifosi were hoping it would.
LoveFrom is a San Francisco based design studio founded in 2019 by Sir Jony Ive (former Apple chief designer) and Marc Newson (also Apple).
While the topic of styling will remain under debate for a long time to come, what can’t be ignored is that this dedicated EV architecture has allowed for the Luce to generously offer four doors and be the first Ferrari with five seats.
Old meets new interior
What is very clear is that there is a merging of old school physical elements and state of the art digital functionality.
The displays are OLED, and the instrument cluster’s three metal-ringed dials are digital displays set within another digital display. A modestly sized central touchscreen incorporates physical switches and can pivot toward the driver or the front passenger.
The steering wheel offers real switchgear, while the steering is flanked by paddles that control regen and maximum torque output.
Power to weight
The Ferrari Luce weighs in at a hefty 2.2-tons, but has four electric motors, one on each wheel. The front two produce 105kW and 140Nm each, and the rear ones push out 310kW and 355Nm each.
The combined number on paper comes in at 830kW, but a real world 765kW is made available when the pull handle launch control is activated.
This is more than any other road going Ferrari can muster. It gets the car to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, 200km/h in a mere 6.8 seconds, while hitting a top speed of 310km/h.
Pricing
The European launch price being thrown about is €550 000 for the Ferrari Luce. In straight up currency conversion, that is around R10.5 million. But this is long before import and other taxes our government will levy on the car. Think closer to R20 million if it ever gets here.
