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Ferrari Luce: Slammed and Still Sold Out?

Johannes Roth
Oct 23
3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago


Light blue Ferrari Luce in front of a concrete building, with the question "Iconic?"

At the end of May, Ferrari unveiled the Luce in Rome. The first electric Ferrari. Designed with LoveFrom, Jony Ive's collective. Price: around €550,000.


The reactions were mostly negative. Online, the Luce was compared to an Apple car. Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo advised at least removing the Prancing Horse. Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini called it "outrageously expensive". The share price fell by around six percent after the launch.


In May, we wrote: early rejection is not a reliable verdict. Five months later, a second look is worthwhile.


What has happened since


In July, the Financial Times reported that the sales target for 2026 has been reached. That means just under 500 cars. The paper cites insiders. Ferrari itself does not give any figures. CEO Benedetto Vigna speaks of orders "in line with our expectations".


The interesting part is who is ordering. According to Vigna, they are both existing and new clients. Demand apparently comes largely from China. Dealers are said to be targeting new buyers.


In August, the first car went under the hammer. The proceeds went to the Ferrari Foundation. The estimate was $1.1 million. It sold for $40 million.


Ferrari itself points to the Purosangue. It too was heavily criticized at first. Today it is one of the brand's most successful models.


Not all criticism is equal


Our reading: the loudest voices do not necessarily belong to the target group. Ferrari is apparently also building the Luce for people who do not drive a Ferrari yet. Those who cling to tradition see a break. Newcomers may see a way in.


For market research, this means: the volume of criticism says little. What matters more is who it comes from. And what kind of criticism it is.


  • Does it point to a real product problem?

  • Or just to a break with visual habits?

  • Is the target group speaking? Or the audience?


This fits our series on brand management. Communities are loud. The loudest voices are not always the most important ones (Part 5). And a brand may change as long as it stays self-similar (Part 2). Whether the Luce remains recognizable as a Ferrari will only show in everyday use.


A word of caution


A sold-out first year does not prove success yet. Ferrari deliberately keeps volumes tight. Just under 500 cars is not a large number. Deliveries are only just beginning. Whether the Luce strengthens or dilutes the brand will show later. For example in resale values. And in whether the new clients stay. A charity auction is also not a market price.


What this means for brands


Innovative companies need research that does more than safeguard the status quo. They need research that shows which irritation is dangerous. And which is the price of progress. Depth-psychological interviews reveal what lies behind rejection. This is exactly where we come in at CURTH+ROTH.


Or, fitting the name Luce, Italian for light: not everything that dazzles at first is a mistake. Sometimes it is a ray of light from the future.


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