Ferrari has sold every single one of its new, all-electric Luce models allocated to the Chinese market.
When Maranello’s first all-electric car debuted in May this year, the Luce was slammed by online pundits for being too un-Ferrari-like.
Despite packing a very Ferrari-like 1,036bhp and a powertrain derived from its Le Mans-winning 499P prototype, the Luce’s polarising design, penned by ex-Apple design guru Jony Ive, provoked particular ire. An industrial designer, Ive’s previous body of work includes the iPhone, the iMac, and the iPad. He was also the design lead for the cancelled Apple Car.
The online backlash, which, amongst other things, decried the “death of Ferrari” and saw threats of violence levelled at Ive. Ferrari also fired its long-term chief marketing and commercial officer, Enrico Galliera, a few weeks following the Luce’s troubled debut. Former BMW Italy boss, Massimiliano Di Silvestre, has since taken his place.
However, none of the Ferrari Furore appears to have bothered Chinese buyers, as all 88 units of the Luce destined for the Chinese market have sold out “immediately”. In China, the world’s largest EV market, the Luce is priced from 3,988,000 yuan, or around £444,000.
The ultra-fast sellout of the Luce in China correlated with Ferrari chief Bernadetto Vigna’s claims that its latest model is “clocking up orders”. From the outset, Galliera stated: “We made clear to our clients that this car is designed for a different target audience,” suggesting the Italian brand is seeking a younger, less traditional audience than what it’s usually used to.
The numbers contradict a report suggesting that Ferrari dealers have been forcing existing customers to buy a Luce to gain access to the brand’s more exclusive and expensive internal combustion models.
Yet it’s not just the Chinese market where the Ferrari Luce has proven a success. While Vigna didn’t provide any firm numbers beyond China, he told Bloomberg that orders are coming in from new and established customers internationally. The Luce will go on sale in mainland Europe in early 2027, with cars arriving in the UK during that same spring.
