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If you’re into EVs or sports cars, then you surely saw the kerfuffle over Ferrari’s first all-electric car, the Luce. The reaction was swift and biting for the five-seater EV designed by Apple veteran Jony Ive and priced at close to $650,000.
Ferrari fans expressed horror, critics compared it to the far cheaper Nissan Leaf, memes were made, and even one car designer (Lucid’s Derek Jenkins) threw some shade.
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane asked a different question as the great Ferrari Luce debate blew up the internet: Who is the Luce for?
You’ll have to read the full story to get his complete breakdown. But in my view, the most important question is whether the Luce is for existing Ferrari owners. After all, Ferrari owners often possess more than one. More than 80% of the 14,000 people who bought a Ferrari last year already own one of its vehicles, O’Kane notes.
According to Ferrari, there is demand for the EV. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna claims the Luce is already getting orders from old and new customers. Assuming that demand outstrips the number of Luce EVs that the automaker plans to make, the next question is, who will Ferrari pick? (IYKYK)
Ferrari could be vindicated. Remember the Ferrari Purosangue, which was widely panned when it launched several years ago? That SUV is now considered a success. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if a product is hated. Ferrari doesn’t need universal approval; it just needs enough buyers.
Let’s jump from EVs to AVs.
A new Texas law allows its Department of Motor Vehicles agency to exert more control over autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in the state. Companies must now license AVs in the state, and the data is public. Here’s what I found after spending a little time with the AV tracker tool.
Waymo is far and away the leader with 577 …