Ferrari launches first EV with Jony Ive’s ‘polarising’ design

{"text":[[{"start":7.7,"text":"Ferrari has unveiled its first fully electric car, with a design from former top Apple designer Jony Ive that it describes as “polarising”, noting that the vehicle was deliberately not intended to win over traditional petrolheads."}],[{"start":20.9,"text":"The launch of the Luce marks a bold gamble by the Italian luxury brand to cultivate a new fanbase with a completely new design, technology and driving performance as it prepares for a future when EVs will be as common as its combustion engine and hybrid sports cars. "}],[{"start":37.349999999999994,"text":"“When you use technology that leapfrogs, the design must also be a leapfrog,” chief executive Benedetto Vigna said in an interview at the Vela architectural landmark in Rome. "}],[{"start":49.349999999999994,"text":"Designed by Ive’s LoveFrom, which was founded in 2019 with longtime collaborator and industrial designer Marc Newson, the EV has echoes of Apple’s minimalist lines and is shaped in a shell-like form with the silhouette of a glass house. The spacious interior has a retro feel with physical dials and buttons in addition to a touchscreen panel."}],[{"start":72.75,"text":"“This needs to stand the test of time,” Newson said, noting that not everyone would like the Luce’s futuristic design. "}],[{"start":79.8,"text":"Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer, told the FT the intent was to be “polarising”, adding: “The aim was to bring into the market something that is completely new that is designed to [divide] opinion.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":94.6,"text":"The electric model, which will be priced at €550,000 including taxes, will be profitable from the launch, which Vigna said was testimony to the fact that western manufacturers — not just Chinese rivals — can also succeed in building EVs. "}],[{"start":112.35,"text":"With the Luce, its first five-seater sports car with a range of 530km, Ferrari will not give priority solely to its existing clients. Half of the people invited to its launch event are not Ferrari drivers, a ratio that is usually around 10 to 20 per cent for past new models."}],[{"start":130.7,"text":"Ferrari executives said luxury manufacturers had previously struggled with EVs because they tried to sell to buyers who wanted to add every model to their collection. But many collectors preferred driving a petrol car, and would end up quickly selling on the electric model, leading to an erosion of its second-hand prices."}],[{"start":149.14999999999998,"text":"“To my petrolheads that I meet, I always tell them, please don’t buy [the Luce],” Galliera said. “The key driver the carmaker is targeting is someone who already owns an electric car,” he said."}],[{"start":161.74999999999997,"text":"Ferrari has tried to address criticism that EVs lack the explosive sounds and the revving of combustion engines, which sports car aficionados love, with a vibrating sound coming from its electric motors and components inspired by an electric guitar."}],[{"start":175.64999999999998,"text":"The car is also powered by four electric engines that are attached to each wheel, a structure that Galliera said makes the driving feel light despite the battery weight."}],[{"start":185.64999999999998,"text":"To protect the model’s residual value, all of the components are made in-house so that the car can be repaired decades into the future, while new battery technology the company develops will be usable in the Luce even after it is sold."}],[{"start":198.84999999999997,"text":"While addressing some of the most common EV concerns, Ferrari has also already watered down its ambitions. It now aims to make 20 per cent of its models fully electric by 2030, half of its original target. "}],[{"start":209.99999999999997,"text":"Vigna emphasised the importance of widening Ferrari’s appeal, pointing to interest he received from a US tech entrepreneur in his thirties to buy the Luce."}],[{"start":219.14999999999998,"text":"Ferrari, whose average age of its clients is 52, has said it was not targeting a specific age group with the Luce. But with a sizeable portion of its buyers likely to be first-timers, analysts said another challenge for Ferrari was whether it would be able to cater to the younger generation. "}],[{"start":234.95,"text":"“Making electric cool is really tough,” said Ed Somner Bogard, founder of EMJ Exclusive, which provides a range of services to young high-net-worth individuals including the hiring of private charters and luxury car purchases. "}],[{"start":249.54999999999998,"text":"So far, Bogard said Volkswagen-owned rival Lamborghini, which recently abandoned its plan to launch its first EV by 2030, appeared to have more luck attracting young wealthy drivers who often find Ferrari less accessible with its focus on heritage and exclusivity."}],[{"start":268.25,"text":"Ferrari is active on social media and has also increased its fanbase on the back of its Formula 1 racing team."}],[{"start":275.05,"text":"But Lamborghini has a strong following among football stars, musicians and other celebrities who post pictures of their hyper-personalised models such as the Urus sport utility vehicle on TikTok and Instagram."}],[{"start":289.15000000000003,"text":"“When you see a Lamborghini, it’s always unmistakable so you stand out of the crowd,” chief executive Stephan Winkelmann recently told the FT’s Future of the Car summit, pointing also to the 70mn followers on its various social media platforms. “They might never be able to buy a Lamborghini but you never know so the future is important for us.” "}],[{"start":308.75000000000006,"text":"Ferrari’s Vigna admitted that it was important for the company to speak the same language as the younger generation to draw new buyers, but also stressed that the Luce was targeting both the young and old. "}],[{"start":321.30000000000007,"text":"“Why now the electric car?” Vigna said. “The world is moving forward. We have to embrace the change but with responsibility.” "}],[{"start":337.4000000000001,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779761430_7631.mp3"}