Ferrari Admits Luce Backlash Was Bigger Than Expected

The company "didn’t expect such a magnitude" of negativity

written by Tom Baker
edited by Steven Ewing
7/8/2026
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What's new: Negative feedback about the LoveFrom-designed Luce has been more intense than Ferrari expected.
Why it matters: Ferrari says it doesn't plan to bundle the Luce with harder-to-obtain cars; it won't require customers to buy the EV to unlock limited-access models.
Edmunds says: There's no doubt the Luce will be a tough sell in some markets. Only time will tell if the EV can bring in a new audience.

— Maranello, Italy

Ferrari knew its first electric car would cause a meltdown with many of its fans. But the Italian brand now says it didn’t expect the negative feedback about the $640,000 Luce to be quite so intense.

Ferrari's global marketing director, Emanuele Carando, told me that the company was "expecting a strong reaction, a very polarizing reaction, [but] we didn’t expect such a magnitude." Carando thinks there's no such thing as bad news, and the massive backlash to the Luce's design has effectively served as massive free advertising for the car.

"Being a marketing director, I was very pleased. Ferrari is such a loved marque that belongs to everybody, and everybody has a right to say something about it. Still, whenever you develop something new, the novelty scares everybody," Carando said.

LoveFrom, headed by ex-Apple designer Jony Ive, penned Ferrari's first EV. While the high-end, button-heavy interior of the Luce has been well received, its unusual exterior design has drawn criticism. But Ferrari says the Luce was never supposed to look like one of its gas-powered cars.

"We could have taken the Purosangue, removed the 12-cylinder engine and put the battery and electric in there, but we thought that would not have been the right decision," Carando said. "[We] made something we wouldn't have been able to if we didn't have this technology — a spacious car with a very short front hood, which allows the driver to be very close to the front axle, allowing you to have incredible precision in entering curves."

Still, Ferrari is adjusting some of the Luce's marketing. The EV's second outing to the media saw the pastel-yellow and baby-blue examples from the world premiere tucked away, with a much more handsome matte-silver car rolled out in their place. Carando also expects the intense reactions to start to soften, saying that the frenetic reaction to the Luce was really nothing new. Reactions from Edmunds editors have also been mixed.

"This has happened before ... remember when we launched the Purosangue four years ago? The magnitude was not the same, but we had many comments about Enzo Ferrari rolling in the grave. I think probably now the Purosangue is one of the most loved cars worldwide," he said.

Last week, longtime Ferrari chief marketing officer Enrico Galliera said he was leaving the company to pursue a new path. One of Galliera's last acts was to strongly rebuke reporting from financial media that Ferrari was informing customers that they must buy a Luce in order to qualify to purchase future limited-edition models.

"We have seen this article. With all due respect, it is totally incorrect ... this car is not going to be forced in selling. It should be given only to the client that wants to buy it," Galliera said.

Carando said Ferrari has developed a "complex algorithm that, in a very objective way, prioritizes clients" for access to top-end cars like the new 12Cilindri Manuale.

PR chief Alessandro Vaccari agreed. "We never have a bundling strategy of 'if you buy this, you get that' … [but] we do count [and] take an algorithm of every interaction you have with the brand, and that gives us a fair way to put a client in the system and define top VIPs."

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by Tom Baker

Tom Baker is a Europe-based automotive journalist with more than a decade of experience road testing and analyzing new vehicles. Originally from Australia, he now works as a foreign correspondent covering international first drives, motor shows and executive interviews from the heart of the global car industry. Tom combines a background in rigorous, real-world road testing with a strong interest in the business of the automotive industry, covering everything from platform strategy and electrification to market positioning and profitability.

edited by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing is Edmunds' director of editorial content. An automotive journalist for more than half of his life, Ewing's been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and he was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. He's also contributed to publications like Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and more. Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. From testing prototype cars in the Arctic Circle to spilling a beer on a Formula 1 driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (oops), he's always got an interesting story to tell.

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