Ferrari Luce EV Signals New Electric Direction for Iconic Italian Brand

Ferrari has confirmed that its first fully electric production car will be called the Luce, marking a decisive shift for a company long defined by the sound and fury of its combustion engines.

The name, Italian for “light,” suggests delicacy. Yet at just under 5,100 pounds, the Luce will be the heaviest Ferrari ever built, outweighing even the Purosangue SUV. Weight, however, appears secondary to what the car represents.

This is not a two-seat berlinetta carved around a V-12. It is a four-door, four-seat grand tourer powered by four electric motors producing more than 1,000 horsepower. Ferrari says it will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds. A 122 kWh battery pack is expected to deliver up to 330 miles of range under European testing standards.

The full unveiling is scheduled for May 2026. Even so, early details of the interior have already stirred debate within automotive circles, largely because of the company it has kept.

Ferrari collaborated with LoveFrom, the design agency founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. According to Car and Driver, the partnership has been in development for five years, with chairman John Elkann, CEO Benedetto Vigna and chief designer Flavio Manzoni working alongside the LoveFrom team. LoveFrom was recently acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion.

Inside the Luce, the influence is unmistakable. Glass and aluminum dominate the cabin. Screens curve softly into the architecture, surrounded by brushed finishes in cool grey, matte silver and pale champagne tones.

Yet despite the presence of layered OLED displays, the Luce avoids the all-screen minimalism that has become common across the industry. Instead, rows of machined metal switches line the dashboard, offering audible and tactile feedback.

Ive, speaking to Yahoo, said the team focused on preserving a physical connection between driver and machine. “It was very clear to us that we needed to figure out as many ways as possible to viscerally and physically connect to the interface,” he said. “When everything is flat, you stop absorbing the information.” He added that in a car, touchscreen-only interaction is “just the wrong technology.”

Drive modes, wipers and lighting controls are operated through anodized aluminum switches set within black glass pods. Volume and seek functions sit behind the steering wheel. Paddles modulate torque delivery to mimic the sensation of gear changes, an intentional nod to Ferrari’s heritage.

The steering wheel itself departs from recent Ferrari practice. Slim and three-spoked, it is wrapped in leather and connected to a gauge binnacle that moves with the driver’s seating position. The instrument cluster combines two stacked OLED displays with a physical needle placed between them, creating a layered, tachometer-like effect.

Thin OLED technology and Samsung’s display expertise allow real needles, clocks and convex lenses to appear at varying visual depths. Ferrari says the arrangement ensures clarity even at speed.

Materials have received similar scrutiny. More than 40 pieces of Corning Gorilla Glass are used throughout the cockpit, including in the shifter surround and gauge lenses. Ferrari says the glass is more resistant to scratches and shattering than the versions commonly used in smartphones.

Even the key carries symbolic weight. It features a yellow E Ink panel that dims when inserted into a magnetized slot in the center console. A glow then travels upward to the glass shifter, a visual cue described as a transfer of energy.

The center console opens with suede-covered lids that lift butterfly-style before closing with a magnetic click. The glass shifter, shaped somewhat like a shot glass, moves through precision-machined gates. While the console includes USB connections, Ferrari notes that a dedicated charging pad will sit ahead of the shifter in the final production model.

Overhead, airplane-style toggles manage lighting and launch functions. The central control panel can pivot to suit the driver’s preference. A clock in the upper corner transforms into a stopwatch or compass, its hands moving with mechanical precision. Even the seat rails are anodized to match the rest of the interior.

For Ive and Newson, both longtime automotive enthusiasts, the project appears personal. Newson described their shared interest in vehicles as a longstanding hobby. Ive suggested that modern cars have lost some of the tactile qualities found in older Ferraris.

Read More:

Xiaomi 18 Pro may bring dual 200MP cameras in a compact 6.3-inch flagship

With the Luce, Ferrari is not simply introducing an electric drivetrain. It is rethinking how an electric Ferrari should feel. The final verdict will come when the car is fully revealed next year, but the company has made clear that electricity will not mean abandoning physical connection.