the controversial luce, ferrari's first electric car sells for $40 million during monterey car week

FERRARI LUCE REVEALED IN ROME

In a monumental shift for the Prancing Horse, Ferrari unveils Luce, its first-ever fully electric vehicle. Revealed against the soaring architectural backdrop of the Vela di Calatrava in Rome, the launch marks a radical new chapter in Maranello’s storied history. Beyond simply swapping combustion for battery power, the Luce introduces an entirely new vehicle architecture: it is the brand’s first model to generously accommodate four doors and five seats, wrapped in an unprecedented aesthetic born from a high-profile creative collaboration. To define this new era, Ferrari looked outside its in-house design studio, tapping the creative collective LoveFrom, led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Working in tandem with Ferrari Design Director Flavio Manzoni, the team was granted the creative freedom to conceive a disruptive, yet deeply authentic, new design language.

‘Today, we are not simply unveiling a new car, we are inaugurating a chapter that turns our vision into reality, strengthening Ferrari’s tradition of anticipating and shaping the future,’ said John Elkann, President of Ferrari. ‘Such a leap forward in product innovation could only have been achieved through process innovation; this is why we chose to embark on new collaborations, such as the one with LoveFrom for the design. And, as always, our research and engineering excellence have been placed at the service of driving emotions, without compromise. Rome, the symbolic location of our first victory, becomes the starting point for a Ferrari that lights up the future and opens new horizons.’

images courtesy Ferrari

DESIGN BY LOVEFROM’S SIR JONY IVE AND MARC NEWSON

Freed from the traditional constraints of a front-mid engine and rear gearbox, LoveFrom’s Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson capitalized on the electric architecture to create a vehicle defined by clean, sweeping volumes. The Ferrari Luce’s exterior is characterized by the purity of its ‘glass house’, an uncompromised, shell-like form that extends below the beltline to the absolute extremes of the car. To achieve this seamless look, Ferrari and LoveFrom collaborated closely with Corning® to engineer advanced glass elements that form the primary surfaces of the cabin.

Enhancing this fluid silhouette are suspended front and rear aerodynamic wings that appear to float above and around the glass house.

The lighting design follows this minimalist ethos: transparent front and rear light panels sit flush with the primary surfaces, gently receding when switched off to preserve the purity of the form, while the halo tail lights offer a subtle homage to the classic 360 Modena and 458 Italia. Grounding the vehicle are the largest staggered wheels ever fitted to a series-production Ferrari, 23 inches at the front and 24 inches at the rear, available in either a forged open five-spoke or an aerodynamically optimized turbine design.

Ferrari introduces its first fully electric car with the Luce

ANALOGUE TACTILITY MEETS LIVING SOUND IN THE CAR’S INTERIOR

Inside, the Luce is a celebration of meticulous industrial design, resulting in an expansive, airy cabin defined by an honest material palette of 100% recycled anodized aluminum, Corning® Gorilla® Glass, and premium Italian leather. Bridging the gap between analogue tactility and digital flexibility, the interface unfolds across highly considered touchpoints, starting with a steering assembly machined from recycled aluminum that pairs physical mechanical dials with satisfyingly tactile magnetic torque-control paddles. Directly ahead, the binnacle introduces a multi-layered display that masterfully superimposes physical needles over digital dials, encased in an aluminum housing with a precision-machined glass lens. Innovation extends even to the vehicle’s key, an automotive world-first crafted from scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass with a bistable E Ink display, which triggers a vibrant surge of historic Ferrari yellow across the dashboard when docked into the central tunnel.

This seamless sensory ecosystem is completed by ultra-slim, free-form OLED screens developed exclusively with Samsung Display©, which eliminate traditional backlighting altogether to ensure a clean, integrated interface entirely free of visual clutter. This dedication to authentic sensory engagement naturally extends to the vehicle’s acoustic signature, marking what is perhaps the most distinctly ‘Ferrari’ innovation of the Luce. Rejecting artificial, synthesized audio, Ferrari engineered a patented system that captures the physical vibrations of the electric axles using a precision accelerometer. Similar to how an electric guitar pickup works, this raw, mechanical signal is filtered, equalized, and amplified in real-time. Emitted through a dual internal and external amplification system, the result is a living, authentic soundscape that directly reflects the driver’s inputs and the physical realities of the powertrain.

the exterior sees a low, stretched profile with rear hinged doors and a strong horizontal graphic line

engineering an electric prancing horse

Beneath the meticulously crafted skin of the Ferrari Luce lies a bespoke, 800-volt platform that redefines electric performance. Built around a structural 122 kWh battery pack integrated into the floorpan, the chassis combines hollow aluminum castings and extrusions to maximize rigidity while keeping the kerb weight to a remarkable 2260 kg. To ensure the Luce drives like a true Ferrari, the engineering team tackled the inherent challenges of electric powertrains head-on. The vehicle introduces Torque Shift Engagement, a patented system managed via the steering wheel paddles that allows drivers to actively step up the torque for a sensation of progressive, endless acceleration, rather than the abrupt, flat delivery typical of most EVs.

‘This model is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners,’ noted Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari. ‘We have created a car that combines unique driving emotions with extraordinary performance, driving pleasure, and comfort for the Ferraristi of today and tomorrow.’

Ferrari gives the EV a real sound profile by amplifying vibrations from the electric drivetrain