We are now getting a new excuse for the Ferrari Luce’s ugly appearance. Originally, we speculated that it was due to Ferrari’s focus on aerodynamics — even though its performance didn’t reflect this. Now, it’s being said that the Ferrari Luce was meant to compete against Chinese EVs.
According to the BBC, Ferrari is targeting a “completely different demographic” with the Luce. As Chinese EVs continue to dominate markets worldwide, automakers may be looking for ways to keep up in that space. However, I’m not sure why Ferrari would want to compete in the “cheap, mass-produced EV” space.
Now that BBC mentions it, however, I can definitely see the inspiration at play. The Luce has dropped Ferrari’s usual low-slung, sleek, and aggressive appearance for a round, playful look. It was clearly a jarring reveal for those who felt it lost Ferrari’s identity and aura. But if it wants to appeal to buyers of Chinese EVs, I guess it could fit in. It looks cheap and silly enough.
But it’s $640,000… That sort of ruins that theory, since most people do not want to buy Chinese EVs for more than $40,000. BYD’s attempt at a luxury sports car had mixed reviews in Europe compared to its extremely popular and dominant cheap EVs. It would shock me if a company as respected and iconic as Ferrari was unable to see this.
Which leaves me confused once more. Who is the Luce for?
Who even wants the Luce?
When the Luce was revealed, every publication and car enthusiast on earth felt it was hideous. The Luce was compared to the Nissan Leaf (which actually looks better), a vacuum cleaner, and basically anything else you can think of that you’d never think a supercar should be.
Stocks dropped up to 8%, former chair Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said it’s “risking the destruction of a legend,” and caused Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini to say: “I wonder what Enzo Ferrari would say.”
Ouch.
But Ferrari is confident in the Luce. Ferrari said there was “strong interest” in the Luce once it was revealed. “We’ve already received bank transfers, clients who were there want it,” the CEO said.
Ferrari also revealed that the interest included “new clients.” That’s not much of a surprise. I can’t imagine existing supercar owners wanting the Luce. But who are these new clients? I can’t tell.
“It would be cool as a Honda or Mazda for $80-120K,” said one car enthusiast on Reddit. “I think it’s the worst ever Ferrari design, especially when you factor in the price. I’m not sure what they think they’re doing with the design and price point.”
“If I wanted a Ferrari, this is not a car to be desired. There are plenty of other EVs around with similar performance but better styling (Xiaomi, for example). For me, it looks like a 50k Honda/Mazda,” added another.
The best part? The interior, which was designed by a former Apple designer. It’s strange that so much thought was put into the interior, but the exterior was left looking like a vacuum.
