Ferrari knew the Luce would be difficult. The Luce is not a quiet little experiment from a brand testing the water. It is a $640,000, fully electric Ferrari with a design shaped by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, a car meant to prove Maranello can move into the EV age without losing its soul.
The reaction was not gentle. After the Luce was unveiled, the design became an instant talking point. Memes followed. Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo criticised it. Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini joined the chorus. Ferrari shares fell around 8 per cent the day after the reveal.
Now another scoop has arrived. Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s long-serving chief marketing and commercial officer, is leaving after 16 years with the company.
Ferrari says he decided to “embark on a new chapter” and that the decision had been shared with the company earlier. He will be replaced by former BMW Italy boss Massimiliano Di Silvestre in July.
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Ferrari has not said Galliera is leaving because of the Luce. The company has not called it a firing. The timing still gives the story its weight.
The Launch Became A Design Fight
Part of the problem was how the Luce was introduced.
Ferrari had already revealed the name, the interior and some key performance details before the full production debut. By the time the car was shown properly, the exterior had become the main new thing left for people to judge.
So they judged it. Instead of leading with driving emotion, Ferrari found itself defending the look of its first EV. That is a difficult place for any carmaker to be, but especially one built on desire, sound, drama and instinct.
The Luce may still prove itself on the road. The issue is that almost nobody outside Ferrari has had the chance to say that yet. Journalists were not given proper seat time at the launch, which meant Ferrari’s biggest claim had to be taken on trust.
A Ferrari EV needs more than numbers. It needs to feel like a Ferrari.
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Ferrari Still Has To Win The Second Round
Galliera’s exit does not mean the Luce is dead.
Ferrari is still pushing forward with electrification, and CEO Benedetto Vigna remains in place. The company has also said the Luce continues to attract orders, despite the criticism.
The bigger question is how Ferrari changes the conversation. The first round belonged to the internet. The next one has to belong to the car.
