Ferrari to unveil first electric car in Rome, a luxury gamble

Ferrari pulled the covers off Luce in Rome, putting its first full-electric car at the center of a bigger question for the luxury market: can a marque built on engine sound, high-revving drama and exclusivity sell an identity that now runs on batteries?

The company formally introduced the project at its Capital Markets Day on October 9, 2025, calling it the first full-electric model in the history of the Prancing Horse. Ferrari then revealed the interior and the name on February 9, 2026, with Luce, meaning light in Italian, framed as a new chapter rather than a break from the past. Ferrari has said the electric car is an addition to the range, not a replacement for its combustion core.

The numbers show how carefully Ferrari is balancing that transition. The car is a four-door model with a top speed of 310 kph and a price above 500,000 euros, keeping it firmly in ultra-luxury territory. Ferrari’s 2030 plan now targets a lineup that is 40% internal-combustion, 40% hybrid and 20% electric, a more measured target than some earlier electrification ambitions. The company also expects an average of four new car launches a year from 2026 through 2030.

Ferrari is backing the launch with infrastructure as well as branding. Its new e-building in Maranello is designed to produce electric cars and parts for EVs, hybrids and some combustion models, underscoring a mixed-powertrain future rather than a clean cut from gasoline. Ferrari’s engineering materials say the front axle delivers 210 kW with 93% efficiency, a technical detail that signals the company wants Luce to be judged as a performance machine first and an environmental statement second.

The design work carries the same message. Jony Ive’s studio LoveFrom was involved, and Ferrari has said it used a special sound system to create an electric Ferrari audio identity instead of simply copying an engine note. That matters because the industry backdrop is turning less forgiving. Porsche has been slowing its EV plans as demand for high-end electric cars softens, and Lamborghini said in February 2026 that it would cancel a planned full EV and move to a plug-in hybrid after finding customer interest close to zero.

That makes Luce more than a new model. Ferrari is trying to define what luxury electrification looks like before rivals do, and to prove that pricing power, engineering mystique and emotional appeal can survive the shift from exhaust notes to software-defined torque.