Ferrari unveiled the Luce in Rome on Monday, a four-door, five-seater electric model that the company says still counts as a sports car. The launch of the Ferrari Ev model came with a price that turned heads almost as quickly as the car itself: 550,000 euros, or about $640,000.
The Luce was presented at the Vela di Calatrava - Citta dello Sport arena, with designer Jony Ive among those involved in its development. Ferrari said the car has four electric traction motors, electrically controlled active suspension and four-wheel steering, and that it engineered, developed and manufactured the main components in-house, including the electric engines and battery pack.
The company said the name Luce means light in Italian, and described it as a signal of where it wants to take the brand. Ferrari said the Luce name “evokes clarity and direction” and “lights the way towards the future,” while stressing that it is aiming for “a Ferrari 360°, not merely the electric Ferrari but an entirely new Ferrari.”
That ambition lands against a company history built on two-seater sports cars such as the 360, 250 GTO and the Testarossa. The Luce is a sharp break from that lineage, not only because it runs on batteries but because it offers four doors and five seats, a layout Ferrari has not used as its signature. Investors appeared unconvinced that the formula would broaden the brand without stretching it, and asked who the prohibitively expensive car is for.
The market gave its answer on Tuesday morning. Ferrari stock fell 4.3% shortly after the opening, underscoring the caution surrounding a model that is meant to expand the company’s future while leaning hard on its past. Deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter this year, giving buyers and investors only a short wait before the Luce moves from stage show to showroom reality.
Ferrari says the car can reach 100 kph in 2.5 seconds, a figure meant to keep the focus on performance rather than novelty. The question now is whether the Luce can persuade buyers that a Ferrari Ev can be both a departure and a true Ferrari at the same time.
