Like it or not, Ferrari’s first electric vehicle is coming, and we now have a name.
In the slow burn of teasers leading up to its reveal, Ferrari announced two key details this week — that its upcoming EV will be called the Luce, and it will pack a cockpit that balances screens with retro-cool design and physical switchgear.
Until now, Ferrari has been referring to the project as the Elettrica, but that was just its working name. Luce translates to “light” in Italian, though referring to luminescence here, not weight. Given that Ferrari at one point literally its halo car the TheFerrari, we wouldn’t have been surprised if they stuck with Elettrica.
More interesting is the Luce’s interior. Ferrari worked with LoveFrom, a creative agency founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson, two former Apple designers who worked on the early iPhone and Apple Watch. We certainly see the late-aughts Apple influence in the rounded edges, simple graphics, and brushed metal trim. The steering wheel has the Ferrari hallmarks, flanked by paddle shifters, turn signal controls on each spoke, and clusters of physical switchgear. But its execution — a thin rim and brushed metal spokes — is decidedly retro-cool.
Even more interesting is Ferrari’s execution of the Luce’s screens. Yes, there will be plenty, but they’re tastefully integrated and cleverly designed to accommodate pieces like convex lenses, trim rings, and real needles, rather than simply one big OLED panel spanning across the dash to attract fingerprints and dust. Ferrari’s also integrating a row of toggle switches below the infotainment display, along with more physical controls and scratch-resistant glass trim on the centre console.
As for the rest of the Luce, Ferrari is aiming for 1,000-plus horsepower, a zero-to-100 km/h run in under 2.5 seconds, and 530-plus kilometres of range. We’ll know the full scoop when Ferrari fully reveals the Luce this May.
