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Ferrari Luce: Everything we know about Ferrari’s first electric car

Ferrari Luce: Everything we know about Ferrari’s first electric car

Paul HudsonMon, May 25, 2026 at 8:10 PM UTC

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Credit: Ferrari

Prepare to be shocked. Or, having seen the images, perhaps you are already flabbergasted that Ferrari, world-famous purveyor of lithe sports cars with multi-cylinder combustion engines, has produced this. Meet the Luce, powered by batteries.

I mean, just look at it. That’s not a proper Ferrari, you might be muttering. But this is different – a futuristic concept car made real. For a company such as Ferrari, with a weighty history, if you’re going to be different you might as well be radically different.

The shock of the new was evident in the criticism that greeted the Luce’s interior, co-created with LoveFrom, an agency founded by iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson.

Now the whole car has been revealed, that interior won’t be as contentious. Combined with the distinctive styling, a return to physical operations in an age dominated by touchscreens means that the Luce is redefining not only Ferrari but cars in general.

The Luce is a four-door grand tourer, with a hatchback rather than a conventional boot - Ferrari

Design agency input aside, the remainder of the car is pure Ferrari: the hardware, myriad beautiful aluminium-alloy castings, the electric propulsion system and the all-important battery.

The world’s media had suspected the Luce would be a significant departure from the Ferrari norm. We had no idea…

Price and availability

The rumours were of an on the road price of about €500,000, which equates to Ā£432,000. Add the most desirable options, however, and you won’t get much change from half a million pounds.

The first right-hand drive, UK market cars will cost £440,000.

What is it?

The Luce is a four-door GT, or grand tourer, with a hatchback rather than a conventional boot. So a family car, then. The back doors are hinged at the rear to provide better access to the rear seats, another reminder that this is a Ferrari that’s not solely about the driver.

The back doors are hinged at the rear to provide better access (our writer Paul Hudson pictured with the Luce) - Ferrari

There’s an electric motor powering each wheel. As well as providing towering performance, these also enable the amount of torque transmitted to each corner to be varied constantly according to acceleration, grip, slip and lateral loads, through both axles, dovetailing with the traction benefits of all-wheel drive.

The interior space is generous even for rear-seat occupants, although as with any car the person occupying the centre portion of the rear bench will be the least comfortable. As is common EV practice, the battery pack is in the floor. The weight is quoted at 2,260kg, part of the reason for monstrous carbon-ceramic brake discs within the 24in (rear) and 23in (front) wheels.

Interior space is generous even for rear-seat occupants - Ferrari

And while many have translated Luce from Italian as ā€œlightā€, Ferrari assures me that ā€œilluminationā€ is more accurate. At 2.26 tonnes, calling it light would be misleading at best.

First impressions

Stunning. The bold, slightly wedge-shaped styling reminds me of a breed of 1970s concept cars at once brutal yet refined. Upon first acquaintance it looks relatively small and low, although it’s more than five metres in length and two metres wide, with plenty of headroom.

Yet it is not jaw-dropping in the manner of previous (combustion-engined) Ferraris. The Luce is deliberately different, a new approach for a new kind of Ferrari. It is bound to be divisive; purists will probably hate it, but having had the privilege of being close to the car and its development team for a couple of days it certainly grows on you.

If only we could jump in and drive it…

Performance

Any Ferrari launch usually involves a plethora of impressive numbers. The Luce’s less so, as ultimate performance was deemed less significant than all-round ability. So the maximum speed is ā€œonlyā€ 192mph, swift enough for most of us.

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One of the advantages of any EV is instant acceleration and the Luce doesn’t disappoint, sprinting from 0-62mph in 2.5sec, with 0-124mph in 6.8sec. How often you (or your passengers) wish to endure such violent acceleration is another matter.

The range hasn’t been certified yet, but Ferrari claims 330 miles. The 122kWh battery consists of 210 cells, the whole lot weighing 630kg. Maximum recharge power is 350kW, although you’ll be lucky to find such a rapid charger in the UK. Ferrari hasn’t quoted any recharge times yet.

Styling

The announcement of LoveFrom’s involvement with all aspects of the car, not only the interior, came as a surprise. Where might that leave Ferrari’s in-house styling department, led by chief design officer Flavio Manzoni?

It’s all sweetness and light, apparently. While emphasising the close collaboration, Newson told me: ā€œIt was surprisingly not fraught with tension, although I was healthily apprehensive about how it would be received.ā€

Brutal yet refined: The wedge-shaped styling is reminiscent of 1970s concept cars - Ferrari

So the resulting four-door is the product of LoveFrom and Ferrari’s interior and exterior designers working hand in hand.

Having seen the pictures, you may well disagree, but I can assure you it is beguiling, the detailing such as seamlessly incorporated spoilers front and rear, the myriad tiny aerodynamic features, the flush glass – the overall vision that flies in the face of anyone who thinks they know what a Ferrari should look like.

Interior

I challenge anyone to spend five minutes in this car and not come away spellbound. Newson and Ive are classic Ferrari buffs so getting rid of modern distractions and returning to a simpler, uncluttered layout became key.

It’s so logical – and so beautifully constructed. You can see immediately where your half a million goes… The most essential functions are grouped in front of the driver, with the rest on a central screen. But it’s way beyond any regular touchscreen, marking as it does a return to physical operation rather than prodding at a screen. And, rather than being haphazardly plonked on the dashboard as is customary, it’s on a tilting and rotating mounting for full accessibility.

The most essential functions are grouped in front of the driver, with the rest on a central screen - Ferrari

A mix of exquisite, precision-engineered mechanical buttons, switches and dials control the various functions. It is so tactile that you wonder why no one has come up with anything remotely comparable in terms of design and execution.

The main instrument dials move with the adjustable steering column. It holds the quite beautiful three-spoke steering wheel, at once delicate yet sturdy.

As with previous Ferraris, a manettino (hand-operated switch) controls chassis functions, although there are now two of them; the point is that the look, feel and slick operation are elevated to another level of precision.

And the air vents. I could take paragraphs to attempt to describe their sheer beauty and simplicity – then fail. They are simply gorgeous, light years better than the smattering of ā€œsurprise and delightā€ features of contemporary car interiors.

The main instrument dials move with the adjustable steering column - FerrariThe Telegraph verdict

Is the Luce worth the money? I’ll let you decide – but the quantum leap forwards it represents for Ferrari as well as EVs in general is incalculable.

And I love it. It’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that what you’re getting is a work of art rather than a mere mode of personal transport. Both design-wise and in execution, the Luce is a credit to all involved.

It’s not a realistic proposition for you or me, but for those with the wherewithal and the desire to own something so special and, well, different that it will be compelling. Traditionalists may well hate it but it will bring in new – and predominantly younger – customers for whom electric propulsion is to be embraced rather than viewed with suspicion.

A bold step for Ferrari, undoubtedly, but one that will be handsomely rewarded. Perhaps not immediately, but when this car has grown on you as much as it has me on such brief acquaintance, it will be lauded as a masterpiece of industrial design and attract a broader spectrum of fans to the marque.

So forget the asking price, the negative sentiments. Something so exceptional should be celebrated.

Original Article on Source

Source: ā€œAOL Moneyā€

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