Ex-Ferrari boss and Italian politicians slam controversial Ferrari Luce EV

The Ferrari Luce, the hallowed Italian brand’s first electric vehicle and first five-seater, has endured a firestorm of criticism since its reveal earlier this week, and now two of its detractors include the former boss of the Prancing Horse brand and Italy's transport minister.

“If I were to say what I truly think, I would damage Ferrari. We risk the destruction of a myth,” Luca di Montezemolo told Italian media.

Mr di Montezemolo became president of Ferrari in 1991, turning the then-struggling automaker around and making it a profitable business. He served in this role until he resigned in 2014 and is regarded by many as the man who saved Ferrari.

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“I am truly sorry. I hope they remove the Prancing Horse [logo], at least from that car,” he added.

“What are we supposed to do about China? This is certainly one car the Chinese will not copy from us,” he added.

Mr di Montezemolo’s reference to the Luce needing to ditch Ferrari’s iconic logo has some precedent. The original Dino wasn’t sold as a Ferrari because company founder Enzo Ferrari reportedly didn’t consider a more affordable, higher-volume, V6-powered sports car worthy of the iconic nameplate at the time.

Evidently, Ferrari considers the Luce worthy of bearing its name, even if a senior figure in the Italian government disagrees.

Transport and infrastructure minister Matteo Salvini invoked Ferrari’s founder in a critical post on social media platform X.

“Electric, incredibly expensive (€550,000!), and aesthetically speaking, it speaks for itself... It looks anything but a Prancing Horse car. And this is supposed to be "innovation"? I wonder what Enzo Ferrari would say…” he posted.

He wasn’t the only Italian politician to slam the Luce.

“The Ferrari Luce is an aesthetic and technological insult to those who love Ferrari or, as in my case, have worked with it,” said opposition lawmaker Carlo Calenda, who worked at the automaker from 1998 to 2003, on social media platform X.

“Congratulations to [John Elkann], who, after having partially destroyed or sold off Marelli, Comau, Iveco, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Scuderia Ferrari, Juventus, Repubblica, and Stampa, is now taking a chance on Ferrari. And it wasn't easy.”

Mr Calenda is referring to John Elkann, the head of the Agnelli family dynasty and the chairman of both Ferrari and Stellantis.

Ferrari's share price has slumped by roughly eight per cent since the Luce’s reveal yesterday. At the close of trading on Monday, May 25, they were sitting at €309.20 (A$501.51), and at the time of writing they’re sitting at €284.05 (A$460.72).

The Luce has been the subject of intense criticism online, including a number of withering memes.

Of the just under 200 comments on CarExpert’s Ferrari Luce reveal article, roughly 20 contained positive appraisals of its exterior design.

The design was led by LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson.

The Luce features a quad-motor all-wheel drive electric powertrain, with total system outputs of 772kW of power and 990Nm of torque, and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 2.5 seconds.

The EV incorporates an 800V electrical architecture and a 122kWh battery, affording a range of more than 530km on the WLTP cycle and DC fast-charging capacity of up to 350kW.

The Luce will be available in Australia, though local pricing and launch timing have yet to be announced.

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