Ferrari, a brand synonymous with roaring V12 engines and Italian automotive passion, is about to enter a new era. Its first all-electric vehicle, now officially named the Luce (Italian for "light"), is poised to break traditions and expectations alike. The Luce isn’t just a new car; it’s a bold statement in design, technology, and luxury, developed in partnership with some of the world’s most celebrated creative minds. As the full reveal approaches in May 2026, more details are emerging about what could be Ferrari’s most ambitious model yet.
For years, Ferrari’s foray into electrification has been a topic of speculation. While the company has dabbled in hybrid technology since the 2013 LaFerrari, the Luce marks its first all-electric machine. According to Car and Driver, the vehicle was previously known as Elettrica during development but has now been christened Luce—a nod to luminescence rather than weight, given its nearly 5,100-pound mass, making it even heavier than the Purosangue SUV. The Luce is a four-door, four-seater, and, in a break from Ferrari tradition, is designed to be family-friendly.
Underneath its sculpted skin, the Luce promises breathtaking performance. Ferrari has confirmed that the car will pack more than 1,000 horsepower, delivered through four electric motors. The result? A 0 to 60 mph sprint in under 2.5 seconds, putting it squarely in supercar territory. A 122 kWh battery pack offers an estimated 330 miles of range by European standards, ensuring the Luce can handle both spirited drives and longer journeys without compromise.
But what truly sets the Luce apart is its design—inside and out. Ferrari’s leadership, including chairman John Elkann, CEO Benedetto Vigna, and chief designer Flavio Manzoni, made a bold move by partnering with LoveFrom, the design firm founded by former Apple luminaries Jony Ive and Marc Newson. LoveFrom, now an OpenAI subsidiary after a $6.5 billion acquisition in 2025, brought its signature blend of minimalism, tactility, and technical mastery to the project. The collaboration spanned five years, culminating in an interior that is both futuristic and deeply human.
Jony Ive, speaking at the interior’s unveiling in San Francisco on February 9, 2026, expressed both excitement and nerves: "I was enormously excited and completely terrified to provide our first real glimpse at the Luce." The LoveFrom team’s approach was to create a space dominated by symmetry, circles, and what designers affectionately call "squircles." The result is a cabin that feels, at first glance, almost clinical, but rewards closer inspection with delightful details and satisfying tactility.
One of the most striking features is the use of glass and aluminum throughout the cockpit. There are approximately 40 pieces of Corning Gorilla Glass, specially engineered to be more shatter- and scratch-resistant than the glass found on smartphones. The glass isn’t just for show—it’s used in the shifter, the gauge cluster’s convex lenses, and even the center console, where suede-covered lids open butterfly-style and close with a magnetic click.
The key itself is a marvel: a yellow panel with an E Ink background that dims when inserted into the magnetized receiver in the center console. This action transfers the yellow glow to the top of the glass shifter, a symbolic "transference of life." As Engadget describes it, "Push the key into the magnetized receiver in the center console, and the yellow on the key dims, moving across to glow through the top of the glass shifter. It’s meant to symbolize a sort of transference of life."
Physical controls are a point of pride for the Luce’s designers. While many modern cars have shifted almost entirely to touchscreens, Ferrari and LoveFrom have gone the other way. Rows of machined metal switches, tactile toggles, and satisfying detents abound. The steering wheel is a slim, leather-wrapped three-spoke design, with anodized aluminum switches and paddles that control torque delivery. Even the windshield wiper control is a work of art—a small dial with a magnifying lens that highlights the current setting, magnifying one of four custom OLED panels from Samsung.
The gauge cluster, or binnacle, features two stacked OLED displays with a physical needle sandwiched between them, serving as a pseudo-tachometer in a car without an engine. The gauges morph and change as the driver selects different modes, while the center 10.12-inch OLED display is perforated to allow pleasingly chunky toggle switches and a glass volume knob to poke through. The clock in the upper-right corner transforms into a stopwatch or compass, its needles swinging in response to the selected function.
Notably, the central control panel pivots and swivels, allowing drivers to position it exactly where they want. Even the seat rails are anodized and shaped to match the interior’s aesthetic, showcasing LoveFrom’s obsessive attention to detail.
Jony Ive explained the philosophy behind this tactile approach: "It was very clear to us that we needed to figure out as many ways as possible to viscerally and physically connect to the interface." He added, "When everything is flat, you stop absorbing the information." Despite his history at Apple, Ive was adamant that touchscreen technology was the "wrong technology" for a car’s primary interface. Instead, the Luce blends digital and analog elements, using layered OLED screens with physical needles and convex lenses to create depth and clarity.
The collaboration between Ferrari and LoveFrom was not without its challenges. As Ive recounted, "I've never worked in an area that's so regulated. Some of it's great, because you understand why, and people's safety is certainly important, but some of it drives you nuts." Yet both he and Marc Newson, LoveFrom’s co-founder, expressed immense satisfaction with the project. Newson commented, "Jony and I share a really, really deep interest in automotive things and vehicles. Actually, I'd go so far as to say that that is probably a hobby of both of ours."
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna’s commitment to the project was also singled out for praise. "Benedetto is an amazing engineer," Ive said. "He's really interested in what can be learned more broadly." The partnership was described as "really lovely," with both sides learning and innovating throughout the process.
The Luce’s interior is a departure from the rough and raw feel of classic Ferraris, instead offering a clinically precise and refined environment. Whether this will resonate with Ferrari’s traditional clientele or attract a new audience remains to be seen. As Engadget notes, "It lacks the rough and raw feel that typifies many classic Ferraris. Whether that's a good or a bad thing will be debated endlessly, and I look forward to reading your comments, but I do figure it'll go a long way to delivering the kind of new clientele that Ferrari must be targeting with the Luce."
As the automotive world waits for the full reveal of the Luce in May 2026, anticipation is running high. The Luce represents not only a technological leap for Ferrari but also a reimagining of what luxury and performance can mean in the electric age. With its blend of cutting-edge engineering, innovative design, and a reverence for tactile connection, the Luce could well become a landmark in the history of both Ferrari and electric vehicles.
The journey to electrification is never just about batteries and motors—it’s about redefining experience, emotion, and identity. Ferrari’s Luce, with its fusion of tradition and innovation, might just succeed in lighting the way forward.