Ferrari Luce: the decisive test for luxury electric cars

The years go by, yet high-performance luxury electric cars continue to face a problem that appears to have no solution: a lack of demand.

Although they offer astonishing levels of performance, almost every customer in this segment still wants a “good old-fashioned” combustion engine. People buying a luxury car do not want silence; they want noise, excitement and an engine with a story to tell.

This is the backdrop for the Luce, the first electric Ferrari in the Italian marque’s history. More than just an unprecedented model from the brand - and even heretical in some people’s view - it increasingly looks like the real test for the future of luxury electric cars. We discussed the responsibility Ferrari now carries in this episode of Auto Rádio, a Razão Automóvel podcast supported by PiscaPisca.pt. Take a look:

A problem nobody has solved

Electric cars have demonstrated exceptional effectiveness across many segments. The world of supercars and luxury vehicles, however, operates differently. The figures matter here too, but they are not the whole story.

The sensory experience has always been an essential part of the equation: the engine note, the mechanical vibration and the rising crescendo of revs. These are qualities an electric motor simply cannot reproduce. It is no coincidence that several manufacturers have already begun to acknowledge this reality.

Rimac, the company behind the Nevera R, the most extreme electric hypercar on the planet, has already admitted that its wealthiest customers still favour combustion engines. That is why Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac, instructed Bugatti to develop a new 1800 hp hybrid V16 engine for the Tourbillon.

Rimac is not the only example, even if it has the particular challenge of wanting to sell electric cars costing more than two million euros. Several hundred thousand euros below that level, where the Ferrari Luce will sit, Lamborghini was expected to offer a rival, but that will no longer happen.

Stephan Winkelmann, chief executive of the Sant’Agata Bolognese marque, recently addressed the subject and stated clearly that customer interest is “close to zero”. As a result, the company would strengthen its commitment to internal-combustion engines, integrated into plug-in hybrid systems.

Everything or nothing for the Ferrari Luce

For all these reasons, it is becoming ever clearer that this is not a technical issue. It is an emotional one. And if there is one marque capable of awakening the senses of a car enthusiast, it is Ferrari.

Whenever Ferrari introduces a new model, its impact is usually greater than the product itself. The company has a rare ability to turn engineering into desire: it is often said that Ferrari does not sell cars, but dreams. That is exactly what it will need to achieve with the Luce.

If Ferrari’s first electric car can win over the brand’s customers, it could open the door for others to launch a new generation of high-performance luxury electric cars. Conversely, if even Ferrari cannot persuade this audience, it may prove that there are segments in which electrification simply has no place.

Join Auto Rádio again next week

There is therefore no shortage of reasons to watch or listen to the latest episode of Auto Rádio, which returns next week on the usual platforms: YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.