The Ferrari Luce has been unveiled as the prancing horse’s first electric car, its first five-seater vehicle, and its biggest model yet.
Underneath an exterior created by industrial design legends Jony Ive and Marc Newson – behind icons such as the iPhone and Lockheed Lounge, respectively – sits a new 800-volt battery platform.
The 122kWh battery provides the power for four electric motors, one for each of the Luce’s wheels.
Ferrari quotes a combined power and torque outputs of 772kW and just under 1000Nm and says the Luce can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, despite being the heaviest Ferrari yet at 2260kg.
A 0-200km/h run is completed in a claimed 6.8 seconds, with a top speed of 310km/h. It borrows active suspension from the F80 sports car and Purosangue SUV and features four-wheel steering.
The Ferrari Luce has a range claim of up to 530km.
The Luce is described by the company as “a new kind of Ferrari” and features radical exterior styling. A dominant glasshouse that Ferrari describes as the “passenger cell” sits atop a five-metre-long body featuring cyan paintwork in official media images, though available in other colours – including red, naturally.
It sits on the biggest staggered wheels yet to feature on a Ferrari – with five-spoke rims 23 inches in diameter at the front and 24 inches at the rear.
Ferrari says aerodynamics were a bigger focus than downforce to maximise the Luce’s battery range, declaring the Luce has the lowest coefficient of drag of any road-going Ferrari.
A detailed aerodynamics approach includes distinctive wipers that are positioned vertically at the extreme ends of the Luce’s windscreen.
Tyres are said to reduce rolling resistance by 15 per cent “without compromising grip”.
The interior, unveiled earlier this year, is a thing of beauty (where the exterior design is arguably more polarising) and is also created by Ivy and Newson’s LoveFrom industrial design company.
It focuses on tactility and user-friendliness, combining contemporary digital displays yet also a thin, compact steering wheel inspired by classic Ferraris.
Rear-seat space – accessed via rear-hinged rear doors – is like that found in the Purosangue SUV, according to Ferrari, though offers three seats rather than only two in the back thanks to the absence of a transmission tunnel in a first for a Ferrari.
A 597-litre boot is the largest cargo capacity of any Ferrari yet, beating the Purosangue’s 473 litres.
Pricing hasn’t been confirmed for the Ferrari Luce, though UK media is reporting between 440,000 and 500,000 British pounds – meaning an expected cost of more than $1 million for any interested Australian buyers.
