- Ferrari’s EV sales pitch drew a brutal response from one well-known collector.
- The collector called the Luce “un-Italian” and unworthy of the badge.
- The exchange highlights the uphill battle facing Ferrari’s first EV.
Ferrari knew its first EV wouldn’t be universally loved. What it probably didn’t expect was for one of the enthusiasts it was actively trying to recruit as a customer to publicly torch the car in a response that’s now circulating online. The exchange offers a rare glimpse into the pushback Ferrari is facing as it prepares to bring the Luce to market.
According to screenshots shared online, Ferrari sales consultant Lee Perkins reached out to hypercar collector Jeffrey Cheng, better known on Instagram as @speedy_jeff. The email described the Luce as Ferrari’s vision for the future while assuring potential buyers that the driving experience remains faithful to the brand’s DNA.
More: Ferrari’s Luce May Not Have Sold Out In China After All, But Buyers There Love It Anyway
Perkins explained that Ferrari was contacting a select group of owners and EV enthusiasts interested in learning more about allocations and the ordering process. Cheng’s response was anything but encouraging. “You honestly have to be kidding me,” he wrote before saying he wouldn’t be “caught dead” in the vehicle. He went on to say he felt “almost embarrassed” for Ferrari sales consultants tasked with selling the car and described the Luce as an “abomination.”
The criticism wasn’t directed solely at the fact that the Luce is electric. Instead, Cheng focused heavily on the styling, arguing that the design feels disconnected from Ferrari’s heritage. “The Luce isn’t worthy of a Hyundai or Kia badge, let alone a Ferrari badge,” he wrote. “It’s an absolute joke on so many levels that it’s literally unfathomable a group of Italians—arguably some of the best automotive designers in the world—could approve something so completely un-Italian.”
Cheng argued buyers could purchase top-tier EVs from Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid and still have enough money left over for a private-jet vacation. Perhaps the most telling part of the email came when Cheng suggested that the only people likely to buy the Luce are customers trying to improve their standing within Ferrari’s famously complex allocation system. He concluded by encouraging the consultant to share the email directly with Ferrari executives.
Read: Nissan Deletes Its Ferrari Luce Troll Post, Mazda Doubles Down
A lot of these talking points are things that automotive enthusiasts have said online. Ferrari can probably ignore those comments. Turning a blind eye to someone in its demographic, specifically one that it reached out to directly… that’ll be considerably harder.
Photos Ferrari, Ferrari China | H/T to The Supercarblog
