- Ferrari admits the negative feedback for the Luce EV was a surprise.
- Marketing boss Emanuele Carando welcomed the reactions from fans.
- The brand denied claims the $640k EV is bundled with limited models.
The arrival of Ferrari’s first-ever electric car has set off a firestorm online, with most fans left cold by a design they find both anonymous and uninspiring. Maranello’s executives are wearing brave faces through the feedback, and a handful have gone as far as calling the reaction something that “pleased” them.
Global marketing director Emanuele Carando admitted Ferrari braced for something “strong” and “very polarizing,” yet the sheer “magnitude” caught the company off guard. Instead of panicking over the blowback, Carando reckons it has worked as an unprecedented wave of free advertising.
More: Hate The $640K Luce All You Want, Ferrari’s Boss Says The Money’s In
Speaking to Edmunds, the marketing boss laid out why the fury suited him fine. “Being a marketing director, I was very pleased. Ferrari is such a loved marque that belongs to everybody, and everybody has a right to say something about it. Still, whenever you develop something new, the novelty scares everybody.”
Ferrari Has Been Here Before
Carando believes the heat will cool over time, pointing to Ferrari’s first-ever crossover as precedent: “This has happened before … remember when we launched the Purosangue four years ago? The magnitude was not the same, but we had many comments about Enzo Ferrari rolling in the grave. I think probably now the Purosangue is one of the most loved cars worldwide.”
More: Ferrari’s New Luce EV Looks So Un-Ferrari We Tried It With Five Other Badges
The bulk of the criticism aimed at the Luce lands on its proportions and styling, penned by design firm LoveFrom. Carando defended the divisive look by citing the benefits of a purpose-built EV architecture.
The executive said Ferrari could have taken a Purosangue and swapped its V12 for electric motors and a battery, but that “would not have been the right decision”. Instead, they built a “spacious car with a very short hood, which allows the driver to be very close to the front axle, allowing you to have incredible precision in entering curves.”
The Luce Won’t Be A Forced Purchase
Beyond the styling complaints, the Luce has also had to fend off rumors of aggressive showroom sales tactics. Still, reports about Ferrari asking customers to buy a Luce in order to qualify for future purchases have been denied.
More: A Collector Leaked Ferrari’s Luce Sales Pitch Email And His Reply Was Brutal
Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, appeared to take some of the fallout himself and recently left the company to pursue different opportunities. Before stepping down, though, he clarified that the Luce “is not going to be forced in selling”, adding that it “should be given only to the client that wants to buy it”.
Alessandro Vaccari, Sports Cars Media & PR Manager at Ferrari, explained how it works. “We never have a bundling strategy of ‘if you buy this, you get that’ … but we do count and take an algorithm of every interaction you have with the brand, and that gives us a fair way to put a client in the system and define top VIPs.”
Carando said much the same, noting Ferrari uses a “complex algorithm” to rank clients for access to rare models like the 12Cilindri Manuale, though he insists it happens “in a very objective way”.
