The Italian manufacturer has faced a wave of particularly harsh criticism — as well as a significant drop in the stock market — following the launch of this 100% electric four-door model, the Luce.
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The car, developed with the participation of former Apple designer Jony Ive, was unveiled by Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
But the reaction from the public and financial markets was extremely negative.
Disaster scenario
According to several estimates, Ferrari’s stock fell by 6 to 8% after the official presentation, erasing between 4 and 5 billion euros in market capitalization in just a few hours. The Ferrari Luce has a starting price of around 550,000 euros in Italy, making it the most expensive series model of the brand outside exclusive hypercars.
The criticisms are not only about Ferrari launching an electric car. Many believe above all that the concept and design of the model directly threaten Ferrari’s historical identity, based on engine sound, mechanical sensations, and racing heritage.
The former president of Ferrari, Luca di Montezemolo, reacted with rare harshness: “We risk destroying a legend, and that makes me deeply sad,” he said at an event organized by Confindustria, the Italian equivalent of MEDEF.
The 78-year-old Italian executive then made a statement that immediately caused a media storm in Italy: “I hope at least they will remove the prancing horse from this car.”
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Briatore mocks
These criticisms echo those recently made by Flavio Briatore. The Alpine advisor also said: ” This Ferrari electric car has a huge advantage: the Chinese will certainly not copy it.”
Despite the storm, CEO Benedetto Vigna continues to firmly defend the project. Even before the official presentation, Vigna had stated that he was “not afraid” of the public’s reaction to this atypical model.
After the stock market drop, he insisted that the project had been studied with a very precise economic logic: “We have invested a huge amount of money in this project,” he said. But we have also worked to make this car a profitable model.”
What impact for the Scuderia ?
This controversy comes at a particularly sensitive time for Ferrari, as the manufacturer also remains one of the most reluctant engine suppliers in F1 regarding discussions aimed at accelerating a return to simpler engines more focused on internal combustion from 2027.
And for many observers, this crisis around the Ferrari Luce today illustrates a much deeper debate: how far can Ferrari evolve technologically without losing the very essence of what built its myth?
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