Former Ferrari F1 boss Luca di Montezemolo tears into new Luce all-electric car as company shares slump
Ferrari's first all-electric car has divided opinion...
Former Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Luca di Montezemolo has delivered a scathing verdict on the company’s first fully electric car - the Luce.
The luxury sports car maker unveiled its first fully electric car - the Luce EV - on Tuesday. It costs $640,000 (£474,320) and is a departure from traditional Ferrari designs, as well as being the iconic Italian brand’s first five-seater model.
It was created in collaboration with the LoveFrom agency founded by ex Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive.
It is fair to say the new Ferrari Luce - which is Italian for “light” - has not gone down well since it was revealed on Tuesday.
Di Montezemolo, who ran the Ferrari F1 team for 23 years until stepping down in 2014, was particularly offended as he offered a brutal take.
“If I were to say what I really think, I’d be doing Ferrari a disservice,” the 78-year-old Italian businessman said.
“We risk destroying a legend, and I’m truly sorry about that. I hope they at least remove the prancing horse from that car.
“[Luce] is certainly a car that at least the Chinese won’t copy.”
One social media user felt it deserved to go “straight to the junkyard trash”, adding “Ferrari just killed their brand just like Jaguar did”.
Public opinion has hit Ferrari hard, with its shares falling more than 8% on the Milan stock market and by over 5% in New York.
Pope Leo was seen sitting in the new car after being presented the model by Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna.
The Luce can reach 60mph in around 2.5 seconds thanks to running a Ferrari-made electric motor on each of its four wheels. It is expected to be available later this year.
Ferrari chief design officer Flavio Manzoni admitted the design is “polarising”.
Supercar rivals Lamborghini and Porsche have scaled back on their EV plans after poor demand and intense competition from the Chinese market, while Jaguar faced heavy criticism in the wake of launching its electric concept car at the end of 2024.
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