Ferrari Luce: Jony Ive's first electric Ferrari Apfelpatient

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Ferrari unveiled the Luce in Rome – the brand's first all-electric model, developed in collaboration with Jony Ive and Marc Newson. It boasts 1,113 hp, a 122 kWh battery, and an interior deliberately designed to buck the touchscreen trend. Starting price: around €550,000.

With the Luce, Ferrari is opening a new chapter – and for its premiere, they've enlisted none other than the man whose signature style has shaped Apple's hardware for decades. Jony Ive and his design collective LoveFrom, together with Ferrari's Centro Stile under Flavio Manzoni, have been working on the brand's first all-electric model. While Ive is still working on the first hardware product for OpenAI, which isn't expected to be released until 2027 at the earliest, the Luce will deliver its first fully designed car to its first customers as early as October.

What Ferrari showed in Rome

The premiere took place on May 25, 2026 in Rome. Ferrari speaks even from a design language that merges the exterior, interior, and user interface into a unified whole – with „clarity and reduced simplicity.” The manufacturer describes the exterior shape as „smooth, continuous, and uninterrupted,” with a shell-like body and freely flowing aerodynamic surfaces at the front and rear.

The Luce measures approximately 5.02 meters in length, making it about two inches shorter than the Purosangue. It is powered by four in-house electric motors that together produce 1,113 hp. Ferrari utilizes a Halbach array configuration, a technology adapted from Formula 1 powertrains for production cars. The drag coefficient of 0.254 is achieved without active aerodynamics – a deliberate decision to save weight and maintain clean lines.

Battery, range and charging speed

Energy is stored in a 122 kWh battery with NMC cells from the South Korean manufacturer SK On. The range is approximately 531 kilometers, and charging is possible at up to 350 kW. During long-distance driving, the front motors switch off to increase efficiency. The rear motors each deliver 416 hp, while the front motors produce 141 hp – with significantly different torque figures at the axles.

Despite its performance figures, Ferrari doesn't want the Luce to be seen as a pure sports car. With five full-size seats – made possible by the elimination of the conventional drivetrain – and a trunk that is generously sized for a Ferrari, its character shifts towards that of a grand tourer.

Where Ive's handwriting really lies

Ferrari pragmatically describes the division of labor between Maranello and LoveFrom: Ferrari's engineers first shaped the surfaces according to aerodynamic and functional requirements, while LoveFrom came in to complement this and handle the design refinement. Nevertheless, Ives' influence is said to extend across the entire program – most visibly in the interior.

Here, Ferrari has demonstratively bucked the industry trend towards giant touchscreens. Instead of an iPad-like central display, the Luce relies on high-quality mechanical buttons, precisely milled aluminum rotary controls, glass elements, and toggle switches. The three-spoke steering wheel is made of 100 percent recycled aluminum, and the gearshift lever is crafted from glass. Multifunctional digital displays complement the physical controls without replacing them. The passenger doesn't even get a separate display – instead, the central display can be rotated towards them.

An unusual personnel decision for Ferrari

That Ive is designing a car is a remarkable turn of events for Apple observers. While Apple's own car project was buried internally in an all-hands meeting after years of development, its former design chief is now realizing his first fully designed vehicle for another brand. For Marc Newson, co-founder of LoveFrom, it's already his second foray into automotive design – following the Ford 021C concept from 1999.

LoveFrom has existed since 2019 and now collaborates with brands such as Ferrari, Airbnb, and OpenAI. The Luce is the collective's first complete vehicle design.

Price and Availability

In Italy, the Luce starts at around €550,000. This puts it significantly above the V12-powered Purosangue, which starts at approximately US$430,000. An official US price is still pending, but reports suggest it will be around $640,000, with some sources indicating a potential premium. First deliveries are scheduled to begin in October 2026.

A statement against the touchscreen craze

The Luce is more than just the first electric Ferrari. It's a deliberate counter-model to the screen-centric logic that characterizes almost all modern electric cars. This is precisely where Ive's influence is most evident – someone whose career was long associated with the glass-first logic of the iPad consciously chose to forgo it in a premium vehicle.

Whether the strategy succeeds depends less on the premiere than on how the Luce performs on the road. One thing is clear: with this model, LoveFrom is appearing for the first time as a full-fledged car co-designer – and giving Ferrari its first electric leap into the new era of the brand. (Image: Ferrari)