{"id":649813,"date":"2026-05-26T08:10:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=649813"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:16:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:16:41","slug":"ferrari-unveils-first-electric-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/motoring\/649813-ferrari-unveils-first-electric-car.html","title":{"rendered":"Ferrari unveils first electric car"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ferrari NV unveiled its first fully electric car, a five-seat model priced at \u20ac550,000 (R10.46 million) that marks a sharp break from the sports-car maker\u2019s fuel-burning heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A presentation in Rome on Sunday was the final stage of a three-step reveal of the EV \u2014 called the Ferrari Luce \u2014 that began last year with the car\u2019s core technology and later showed\u00a0its interior.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Luce delivers the equivalent of just over 1,000 horsepower and reaches 100 kilometers per hour in 2.5 seconds, quicker than Ferrari\u2019s V12-powered Purosangue SUV. It has a top speed of more than 310km\/h.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The car\u2019s launch comes after Ferrari delivered long-term targets last year that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/features\/2025-10-10\/ferrari-elettrica-luxury-car-brand-enters-uncharted-terrain-with-first-ev\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disappointed investors<\/a>\u00a0and raised questions over how it will balance electric technology with the combustion-engine models that remain central to its brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferrari\u2019s 2030 plan cut the expected share of fully electric cars in half to 20% of the lineup, while targeting twice that level of fuel-burning models.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Luce represents an important test case: Ferrari has to show that an electric car can fit its model of limited supply, high pricing and emotional appeal, while expanding the range beyond traditional two-seat and four-seat sports cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pricing of the vehicle suggests chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna has no intention of sacrificing the brand\u2019s exclusivity to boost volumes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Luce will show whether the Italian carmaker\u2019s formula works without the roar of an internal combustion engine, particularly with EV residual values still a concern among rich buyers seeking supercars that will hold or even increase their value over time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lamborghini has delayed its first EV, highlighting how hard it has become for luxury-car makers to persuade customers to part with the noise and physicality of combustion engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-rear-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-649817\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-rear-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-rear-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-rear-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-rear-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-rear.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferrari has repeatedly said it will continue to offer clients a choice across internal combustion, hybrid and electric powertrains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its strategy remains focused on mix, personalization and disciplined allocation rather than selling more cars. That discipline is central to Ferrari\u2019s model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like successful luxury peers such as Hermes International SCA and Rolex SA, the company has long relied on waiting lists and carefully managed supply to protect exclusivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scarcity is not a side effect of the business, but a tool Ferrari uses to support demand and pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its model has insulated Ferrari from the challenges facing higher-volume European carmakers, which are struggling to compete with an influx of cheaper Chinese EVs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Italian company has the biggest market value of any European automaker, even though it produces fewer than 14,000 cars a year \u2014 far below Volkswagen AG\u2019s total of nearly 9 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, its shares have fallen 27% over the past 12 months amid jitters about the strength of global demand for luxury products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferrari has framed Luce not as a concession to rules or rivals, but as an attempt to prove that electric technology can deliver the performance and character the brand\u2019s devotees demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company\u2019s message is that electrification should provide fresh design and driving possibilities, rather than simply replace an engine with a battery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFerrari Luce is not a response to change,\u201d Executive Chairman John Elkann told journalists during a presentation Sunday. \u201cIt is a deliberate decision to lead what comes next.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Massive launch event <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-side-2-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-649818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-side-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-side-2-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-side-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-side-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-side-2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferrari chose a symbolic setting for the Luce\u2019s reveal: the Vela di Calatrava, the sail-shaped structure designed by the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, in the Tor Vergata district outside Rome.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The backdrop matched the scale of the launch. Ferrari brought more than 200 journalists from around the world to Rome for the unveiling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The carmaker organised two gala dinners for Monday and Tuesday, with 800 customers at each event, the company said. Buyers could begin placing orders starting Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Developed with Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson at LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by the former Apple design chief, the Luce\u2019s smooth surfaces and reduced detailing reflect Ive\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The unusual use of glass is one of its defining features. Ferrari described it as a \u201cglass house,\u201d a shell-like form that extends below the belt line to the edges of the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EV moves away from the visual style associated with Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni, which generally includes a balance of muscle and elegance that makes the cars recognisable as products of Maranello, the carmaker\u2019s home town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luce is smoother, but also more familiar: its glassy, pared-back shape sits closer to the styles now becoming common for EVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That puts more pressure on the driving experience. For all the technology Ferrari has packed into the Luce, it makes a somewhat understated first impression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferrari is betting that the car\u2019s agility, sound and response on the road will do what the design alone may not: make a five-seat electric car feel unmistakably like a Ferrari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe had to start from Ferrari, not from electric technology,\u201d Vigna said. \u201cWe had to start from the human dimension.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The electric platform allowed Ferrari to fit in five seats for the first time, something not possible with its traditional transaxle configuration, where a front-mid engine is paired with a rear gearbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Luce will also have a trunk of 600 liters, or 21 cubic feet, potentially enough space for two golf bags or three big suitcases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Amplified electric motor hum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-front-1-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-649819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-front-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-front-1-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-front-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-front-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ferrari-Luce-front-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The car\u2019s format is closer to high-performance electric GTs such as Porsche\u2019s Taycan than to two-seat electric hypercars, though Ferrari\u2019s luxury positioning and scarcity model make the comparison imperfect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most Taycan versions cost far less than the Luce\u2019s expected price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sound is another key challenge. Ferrari said it spent five years and 40,000 kilometers of track testing to develop the car\u2019s acoustic character. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of synthetically mimicking the roar of a combustion engine, the company captures the hum of the electric motors through a sensor on the rear axle,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>then processes and amplifies the sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That approach is designed to address one of the main doubts around any electric Ferrari: whether a brand historically defined by its growling motors can preserve an emotional connection without the sound of a combustion engine.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Luce delivers the equivalent of just over 1,000 horsepower and reaches 100 kilometres per hour in 2.5 seconds, quicker than Ferrari\u2019s V12-powered Purosangue SUV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341034,"featured_media":649815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29366],"tags":[31960,67290,32800,105483,77288],"class_list":["post-649813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring","tag-electric-cars","tag-electric-vehicles-evs","tag-ferrari","tag-ferrari-luce","tag-sports-cars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649813"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341034"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649813"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":649852,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649813\/revisions\/649852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}