After months of teasing, Ferrari has finally shown its first EV, the Luce. That sentence alone is enough to make traditionalists check their pulse, but the car also arrives with a notable design credit: Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s LoveFrom helped shape the project.
The Luce is not just a battery-powered milestone for Maranello. It is also set to become Ferrari’s second four-door model and its first five-seat car, pushing the brand further into territory where practicality is at least allowed in the room.
What did LoveFrom design on the Ferrari Luce?
Ferrari had already shown the Luce’s interior earlier this year, and at the time, Ive and Newson were known to be involved with the cabin. The new reveal expands that role.
Ferrari said LoveFrom was able to “define the design direction of the project from the outset,” meaning the collaboration covered both the inside and outside of the vehicle. For a company as protective of its identity as Ferrari, that is not a small detail. Bringing in outside design voices for a first electric model suggests Ferrari wanted the Luce to feel like a clear break, but not a costume party.
Ive and Newson’s LoveFrom is known for high-end design projects with polished surfaces, careful proportions, and very little tolerance for visual clutter. Subtle, then. Quietly expensive. Very Ferrari-adjacent, if not exactly understated.
How does Ferrari’s electric car feel in person?
Tim Stevens, reporting for Engadget, saw the Luce in person and described it as feeling closer to an SUV than a traditional Ferrari sports car. That makes sense given the four-door, five-seat layout, though it may still be a mental adjustment for anyone whose idea of Ferrari involves two seats, a low roof, and minimal concern for school runs.
Stevens was not able to test fully functioning interior controls, and Ferrari did not offer a test drive. So, for now, impressions are limited to design, packaging, and what Ferrari says the car will deliver.
On paper, the Luce is hardly shy:
- Four electric motors
- 1,035 horsepower
- A sound system that amplifies vibrations from the rear motors
- A starting price of €550,000 in Italy
That price would make it Ferrari’s most expensive model yet. There is no confirmed price for the United States.
Why the Luce sound matters for Ferrari
One of the more interesting details is not the power figure, large as it is, but the sound. Many EVs use fully synthesized audio to replace the engine noise buyers expect from performance cars. The Luce takes a different approach, picking up vibrations from the rear motors and amplifying them.
Stevens praised the result, which matters because sound has long been central to Ferrari’s emotional appeal. Electric performance is now easy to make look absurd on a spec sheet. Making it feel special is harder.
That is the real challenge for the Luce. Ferrari is not simply building an electric car. It is trying to convince buyers that an EV can still deliver the drama, identity, and sensory charge people associate with the badge. No pressure, just the future of one of the world’s most recognizable car brands.
