New Ferrari Luce Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

No manufacturer faces a bigger challenge in the switch to electric than Ferrari, given its entire history is built around the sound, fury and red-blooded excitement of the petrol engines that have powered its cars this far. Yes, the new Luce is a big deal. But Ferrari has come out swinging, both in terms of tech and what the car represents emotionally. Here’s what we know now it’s been revealed officially…

• Ferraris have had rear doors before but this is the brand’s first five-seater
• Luce will sit alongside the existing range of more conventionally powered Ferraris
• Fascinating tech puts an electric motor in each wheel for total power of 1,050 horsepower
• Of course it’s fast as well, 0-62mph coming in just 2.5 seconds en route to a 193mph top speed, while range is a maximum of 329 miles on a chage
• On-sale date and pricing to follow​

The Luce is a Ferrari like no other in terms of how it goes and how it’s been designed. And where styling has traditionally been handed over to esteemed coachbuilders like Pininfarina for the Luce Ferrari has brought in the guy credited with designing the original iPhone, Sir Jony Ive. He and Marc Newson of LoveFrom have come up with “a singular design language [which] unites the exterior, interior and interface with clarity and refined simplicity” according to Ferrari. It’s certainly very different from anything Ferrari has built before, with clean, modernist lines outside and a curious mix of digital and analogue inside. Everyone will have an opinion, that’s for sure.

Unusually, the interior of the Luce is almost as big a talking point as the exterior. Screens and digital displays are, inevitably, a big part. But Ferrari is also celebrating the tactile joy of physical switches, dials and buttons, many made from recycled aluminium and styled with a nod to traditions of the past. The simple steering wheel with the prancing horse proudly at its middle looks straight out of a 50s or 60s classic, even if the rest of it is a lot more modern. Seating for five is another first for Ferrari, the flat floor enabled by the electric platform freeing up space petrol powertrains has never offered before.

Arguably Ferrari’s biggest challenge with the Luce – how to get a sense of excitement of its petrol engines into an electric car? Well, we’ve got sound created from the moving parts and amplified in the style of an electric guitar for starters. Jury out until we hear it but an interesting idea. Technically the Luce is absolutely fascinating as well, with a motor in each wheel and four-wheel steering. This means each wheel is controlled separately in terms of power, re-gen, steering and suspension, which will take a ton of computing power but offers incredible freedom for controlling the way it will drive. Numbers? Well, there’s over 1,000 horsepower, zero to 62mph in under three seconds and a top speed of over 190mph. And best-case range of nearly 330 miles, with 350kW maximum charging for speedy top-ups where infrastructure permits.

No official word yet but watch this space.

The Luce is arguably Ferrari’s biggest car in its existence so we’ll forgive it if this is the only story in town for the rest of the year!

Having driven a prototype of the new Jaguar Type 01 we reckon this will be a close rival to the Ferrari Luce in terms of power, performance and head-turning looks. Still undecided which +1,000 horsepower electric car to buy? There's also the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Rory's just been looking at, setting up a fascinating new-age battle for the ages between these historic brands.