Ferrari Sees the Light with All-New Luce EV
Ferrari finally arrived to the party that most seem to be leaving, rolling out its first ever all-electric vehicle Monday, the four-door Luce sedan.
The EV breaks a lot of ground for the Italian sports car maker. The Luce, which is Italian for “light,” is the company’s first EV and the first vehicle design from Apple’s top designer, Jony Ive and his LoveFrom studio. It’s also the first five-seat model from Ferrari.
"We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna in a statement. “Ferrari Luce was born precisely from this challenge, offering our unprecedented vision of electrification. Never before have we offered our clients such freedom of choice. In line with our belief in technological neutrality, we are the first in the world to combine fully electric, hybrid and combustion engine architectures for sports cars.
“We have not limited ourselves to innovation in powertrains; with Luce, we have launched a whole new segment in our range. 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. We have created a car that combines unique driving emotions with extraordinary performance, driving pleasure, and comfort for the Ferraristi of today and tomorrow."
The Luce is powered by four electric motors — conveniently, one for each wheel — and a 122kWh battery. Those are tied to some more conventional systems, such as the active suspension from the F80 and an independent steering rear axle. With the battery, the new model weighs in just shy of 5,000 pounds.
The car produces more than 1,000 horsepower, travels about 310 miles on a full charge, and races from zero to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds, and zero to 125 mph in about 6.8 seconds. Its top speed is about 193 mph, according to Ferrari. The Luce also becomes the latest EV to generate its own sound. What’s a Ferrari without a signature roar, right?
“The Ferrari Luce’s approach to sound is based on the key principle that it must be authentic and functional, generated from the car’s mechanics and serving the driving experience,” officials noted. A precision accelerometer at the center of the axle captures the dynamic texture and vibration of the rotating components while the sound waves are moving.
The system was developed in-house and patented, and it filters, equalizes and amplifies the signal much like an electric guitar — but only when functional to the driving experience, the company said.
The sound level is based on the position of the e-Manettino and the use of the paddles, allowing the driver to switch from quiet focus to maximum expressiveness. Sound is emitted via an external amplification system that creates a natural sound wave, and an internal system that ensures detail and high fidelity.
The new model to five years to get from approval to completion — the company will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year. If you’re interested, getting one starts with ponying up at least $640,000.
[Images: Ferrari]
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Michael Strong has spent more than 25 years writing about the automotive industry. A Detroit-area native, he’s written about everything from local car shows to product reviews to financial news. Currently he writes and edits for a variety of national and local publications. He’s also a longtime member of the Automotive Press Association and the International Motor Press Association, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Hail Southern! Despite a love for ’70s land yachts and BMWs from the late ’80s and early ’90s, his personal vehicle is neither of those.
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I'm reserving judgement until the automotive media has had the opportunity to test and evaluate the performance capabilities of the new Luce.
Ferrari has always moved the bar. From the pontoon-fendered '50s Testarossas to the four-wheel-drive shooting brake FF, Ferrari has never been afraid to go its own way as pundits and the public has wrung its hands wondering if Ferrari has finally lost its way.
It did not. After the Luce has been released into the wild and the world gets to experience it, I'm confident that we'll realize that it still has not.
I was a fan of Ive's work at Apple, but this is a catastrophic swing and miss on design. It would make a really appealing Honda. It has nothing to do with Ferrari.
Is there actually air space between the black hood/frunk and front spoiler thing? I can't find a photo of the area up close.
This does not appear to be aspirational to me. When I look at it, I do not think, "I want one."
Looks like a Prius made by Rivian.
LOL, the king is naked.
recall the Dino. It wasn't embraced as a real Ferrari for so many years.
By the time this "thing" gets approval it will need a $100000 battery!!
Unless this thing can fly, and requires no fuel.....ever....its a joke, an ugly joke
At that price I'm guessing they are building it to show they can & not that they want to sell many.
If this were $60,000 cheaper, I might consider buying one or two. $640K seems steep, to me.
(Dear Ferrari, never listen to comments like this one. Do you want to end up broke selling economy cars to stupid poor people? No, you do not.)
Let's design an appliance that doesn't look anything like your brand. Yeah, makes total sense.
so, based on the 69% depreciation of my e-tron over 3 years, is it safe to say this thing with 10K miles on it 3 years from now should go for under $200K?
Or under $75K. Because this teletubby Ferrari from last year's Jag team will probably crater in value within the first year.
This sucks in relation to my expectations for a halo car.