- Ferrari’s first EV named Luce, pairs retro tactility with futuristic digital tech.
- Exposed aluminum and innovative layered displays are like nothing else.
- Nardi-style steering wheel features power and chassis manettinos toggles.
If you thought Ferrari’s first EV would feel like an iPad on wheels, think again. The new cabin designed by former Apple man Jonny Ive is a gorgeous fusion of digital tech, tactile physical controls and some retro styling cues guaranteed to make even a trip to the corner store feel like a Mille Miglia run.
Meet the Ferrari Luce, a name that means light and quietly hints that electrons can still have a pulse. Before we even see the bodywork in May, the Italians have pulled back the curtain on the interior to prove to us that maybe an electric Ferrari isn’t the devil’s work after all.
Related: Ferrari Found A Way To Make Fake EV Noise Sound Honest
That design energy comes courtesy of LoveFrom, the creative outfit founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Ive is famous for his work on touchscreen tech juggernauts like the iPhone and iPad, but for this project, he was adamant that the Luce needed plenty of real switches.
Toggles Are Back
So the Luce doubles down on physicality. Real buttons. Real toggles. Real rotary controls that click with satisfying precision. Ferrari says test drivers went through more than 20 rounds just to perfect the feel and sound of each switch. It is basically ASMR for your fingertips, especially the launch control switch, which is located above your head, aircraft-style.
Front and center is a steering wheel that looks like it time traveled from the 1960s. Three slim spokes, exposed aluminum, and a layout inspired by classic Formula One cars. Nineteen CNC machined parts make it lighter than a typical Ferrari wheel, yet it’s packed with finger controls so you can adjust things without playing touchscreen whack-a-mole.
Real Or Virtual?
Behind it sits a wild instrument binnacle developed with help from Samsung Display. Two wafer thin OLED panels overlap to create deep, layered dials that look almost analog at a glance. There’s even a physical needle sweeping across digital graphics because apparently pixels alone weren’t dramatic enough.
According to Ferrari, the Luce’s digital displays were “inspired by both historic automotive cues and the purposeful, clear graphics found in aviation, particularly helicopters and aircraft.” The influence is easy to spot. The layout and typography are unmistakably automotive, a modern tribute to the Veglia and Jaeger instruments from classic Ferraris.
Start-Up Buzz
Ferrari messed up with the SF90, putting a nasty touch-sensitive start button on the steering wheel that killed much of the buzz you normally get from firing up a Maranello car. But it’s redressed the balance with the Luce’s startup ritual. First you insert a chunky glass key into a dock on the console. Its color shifts, then the drive selector wakes up in a coordinated light show.
We’ll have to wait until May to see the Luce’s exterior, though it’s likely we’ll learn more about the powertrain and chassis package between now and then.
Many of us thought we’d find it hard to get excited about an electric Ferrari, no matter how quickly it laps Fiorano, but if the rest of the car is as thoughtful and original as this cockpit there’s going to be plenty to love, even if it doesn’t have gas in its veins.
