Ferrari’s first fully electric car has sparked Italian fears about the future of the luxury car manufacturer. Thus the Financial Times which in today’s edition dedicates a long article by its correspondent from Milan to the car, Ferrari and the role of John Elkann in Italy.
The Luce’s futuristic design, unusual proportions and symbolic break with the tradition of Ferrari’s internal combustion engines have provoked ‘indignation,’ says the newspaper, recalling the reactions of recent days.
The newspaper recalls that the Light, priced at 550,000 euros, was designed in collaboration with former Apple design head Jony Ive and Marc Newson. “Publicly describing the collaboration as part of a broader effort to rethink Ferrari’s approach to its first electric vehicle, Elkann said during the Luce launch event that the company ‘made a deliberate decision to lead what’s to come,’” it read. THE
The Ft then cites the restructuring of the group of Agnelli’s heirs which “through a series of sales and mergers, according to critics, have distanced the empire from its country of origin” and recalls that Ferrari alone represents around a third of Exor’s total assets.
The business daily also reports the opinion of an expert on Italian brands with a large following on social media who “said that Luce could help Ferrari avoid the fate of Nokia, BlackBerry, Kodak or Blockbuster, once dominant brands swept away by technological progress.”
“Ferrari made a risky bet, but it looks beyond today’s customers – said the influencer – Its future customers are 14 years old now, they grew up with Teslas and may not appreciate a noisy combustion engine.” “The intensity of the reaction – we read again in the article – reflects Ferrari’s unique place in Italian culture.”