New Opportunity or Huge Mistake? Here's Our Verdict on the Ferrari Luce EV

• What's new: The Ferrari Luce is the brand's first EV, and the criticism has been harsh to say the least.
• Why it matters: It's a huge departure from current Ferrari design, and the $640,000 price tag doesn't help.
• Edmunds says: Is the Luce truly a mistake? Does it open the door for new customers? Here's what our team has to say.

Ferrari might yet have the last laugh

I was as shocked as anyone when the Luce was unveiled. Based on the original shots of the interior with the retro steering wheel, it seemed that Ferrari's first EV would be a skillful homage to its greatest hits. But it's not — not even close. Save for the round rear lights and the badge, there's little here that speaks to Ferrari's past, and no doubt that’s what sent the share price tumbling. 

But we might be too quick to judge. Ferrari's history is littered with designs that didn't quite fit the traditional mold. Who remembers the Bertone-designed 308 GT4 from the '70s? Or the 412? People get all teary-eyed now about the 1980s Testarossa, but back then, those signature side strakes were derided as uncomfortably gauche.

Maybe Ferrari is right to try something different. Building an EV version of a sports coupe would just have traditionalists longing for a V8. The Luce gives them the opportunity to talk to a new generation of customers, who want a more usable car. 

— Alistair Weaver, editor-in-chief

Of course it's ugly. But who is it for?

I'm not surprised the Ferrari Luce looks bad; to my eyes, this brand hasn't made a truly pretty car in decades. All modern Ferraris are ugly (well, except the Roma). But where the company's other cars are at least expressive, the Luce just looks like an amorphous blob. It's boring. It's anonymous. It's not a sports car, it's a suppository. 

I have to imagine Ferrari showed this thing to potential clients under strict NDAs. And I have imagine at least a few decided to bite. But outside of those folks who can't imagine a world beyond that stable, I don't know who this car is for. The hatred online from owners and fans of the brand has been nearly universal. And it certainly won't appeal to people willing to spend a ton of money on the next big thing in EVs. A thousand horsepower? Cool. A Lucid Air has that. And that's a pretty car.

— Steven Ewing, director, editorial content

I liked this car when it was a Honda concept; I don't really care now that it's a Ferrari

Ferrari hasn't been a relevant automaker outside of motorsports in at least 20 years and the Luce isn't going to change that. The company has been trading on exclusivity so hard that even an incredibly inspired new car would be met by a mass collective shrug from a public that's been told they don't deserve a Prancing Horse on their bonnets for so long they've given up caring. This Honda-concept-looking betrayal of seemingly everything the brand has staked its holier-than-all-the-thous reputation on comes across more like a cry for help than a serious effort to win over any new hearts and minds.

— Will Kaufman, manager, video

The Luce presents Ferrari with the opportunity to take a risk

Given that it will most likely serve as one of a set of keys needed to unlock access to the Prancing Horse's most special models, aka the cars people actually want, not even the Luce EV's $640,000 starting price will prevent it from finding willing homes. I'd be very interested in unsealing Apple's archives to see just how close the Luce comes to the Apple car that should've been but never was. 

I'm not particularly against the Luce in the metal. Sure, there's a whiff of Jaguar I-Pace meets the iPhone 5C, but it's far from the most visually offensive EV on sale and, hey, It even has a rear window. The cabin seems like a nice place to be as well, and the mix of digital-analog instruments is a trend I wouldn't mind catching on. 

My biggest gripe with the Luce is not about the problems it creates, but the ones it doesn't fix. Peep the results of any of the major auctions over the last 12 months, and you'll find no shortage of evidence that even the speculators believe Ferrari's best work lies in its past. Despite how technologically advanced the latest cars are, they’re starting to lose us normies, and the Luce has us tuning in for all the wrong reasons.

Ferrari can live with cratering residuals (although the stock is down 11% year to date). What's a few Romas and a Purosangue with $150,000 in options when there's a Daytona SP3 on the line? What it can't survive, however, is a drop in relevancy. After all, Ferrari is the Prancing Horse first and a carmaker second.  

— Gabriel Vega Cortés, vehicle test editor

Where's the envy?

To me, Ferraris are supposed to make others envious. If you're getting laughed at when pulling up to the country club, or no 11-year-old is hanging a picture of your car on their bedroom wall, then what's the point? Why are you even paying this amount of money?

— David Lucio, post production coordinator

Whose EV is this, anyway?

I don't understand why this new electric vehicle is controversial. The interior looks fantastic (I dig the old-school steering wheel with the low airbag profile) and the swivel touchscreen is really thoughtful. The seat piping is similarly gorgeous. This is a really daring effort that will undoubtedly wash the taste of the unloved Ariya out of our mouths. If Nissan can keep the costs reasonable, I think it'll have a hit on its hands.

— Cameron Rogers, manager, written content

Heritage is undeniable, but evolution is essential

Like just about everyone, my jaw dropped when I saw photos of the new Ferrari Luce EV. Unexpected is an understatement, but I definitely wasn't affected by it for the same reasons as ball-capped, jorts-wearing enthusiasts. While they booed, hissed and hollered, I sat back and got my popcorn.

Ferrari's heritage is undeniable, but evolution is essential. So just stop with the legacy arguments here. Ferrari could have produced another predictable, raunchy red supercar. But do kids today still want the same race car as their grandpa? Retro has its place, but youth crave a new way of doing things. And casual decadence is a real thing. Maybe your new Ferrari doesn't need a spoiler any more than your dining table needs a doily.

I'm still trying to decide if people will try painting smiles on the front of their Luces in the same way they gave VW Beetles eyelashes (shudder). Do I think the Luce's design looks like something permanently fused to an air pump and resembles a hot air balloon more than an automobile? Maybe. It's definitely more "shiny, happy" than "sexy, sultry." The Luce’s bulbous design might land it on worst-dressed lists, but its surreal presence will undoubtedly captivate in person. For those still grieving the traditional Ferrari silhouette, remember: Enthusiasts eventually moved past the Mustang Mach-E incident of 2019. Change is inevitable.

— Carrie Kim, creative services project manager

The Luce doesn't move the EV game forward

Ferrari trying something new has often been fine — great even. I know I'm in the minority when I say I love the look of the 12Cilindri (I even like the name) and the F80. But the Luce has more in common with a bar of soap than it does with a Ferrari.

It’s lazily executed, too. LoveFrom, the firm that designed the car, clearly just wanted something with a low coefficient of drag. It's baffling that Ferrari accepted this design. The Luce is a massive swing and miss for a brand that has been searching for a new identity since it inexplicably parted ways with Italian design house Pininfarina. 

But perhaps worst of all? The Luce does nothing to move the EV game forward. Four electric motors, a little over 1,000 horsepower, 330-ish miles of range — where's the innovation? Everything the Luce does is available somewhere else, and without having to shell out $640,000.

— Nick Yekikian, senior editor, news

A Ferrari should never be boring

A good car design evokes passion, desire, luxury, even good old-fashioned sex appeal. That all goes double for Ferrari, a company with a history filled with iconic designs. Then there's the Luce. Some people call it ugly, but I disagree. Ugly I could handle, because at least an ugly car has some character. No, the problem with the Luce is that it's boring. And that to me is the biggest sin of all. Ferrari can be a lot of things, but it should never be boring.

— Keith Buglewicz, manager, written content