Marc Newson Defends Ferrari's €550,000 Luce EV as Design Backlash Swells

3 articles · Updated · Road & Track · May 27

Marc Newson said Ferrari’s first EV was deliberately shaped as a two-part body, with a rounded passenger cell set inside a more angular outer shell to balance efficiency and Ferrari-style performance.
The five-door, five-seat layout grew from packaging needs: Ferrari said the Luce had to house a large battery and four-motor powertrain, while creating a roomier cabin and a brand-first third rear seat.
LoveFrom, the design studio co-founded by Jony Ive, developed the concept early and used the two-tone finish, perimeter gap and wing-like front and rear forms to stress aerodynamics without losing the car’s blocky stance.
The explanation follows a rocky debut that triggered jokes, confusion, complaints from former executives and a share-price drop, even as the launch succeeded in making the Luce a talking point.
Ferrari is pairing that radical design with a premium bet: the Luce starts at about €550,000, or roughly $640,000.

Is Ferrari’s divisive EV a brilliant gamble, or is Lamborghini’s hybrid-first strategy the smarter path for ultra-luxury brands?

Has Jony Ive’s radical design reinvented Ferrari for the EV era, or has it fatally damaged the brand’s soul?