The Ferrari Luce was always going to be judged by more than its acceleration figures.
As Ferrari’s first electric vehicle, it carries the weight of a brand identity built on engines, sound, proportions and a very specific idea of drama.
Jay Leno has now added a pointed take to the conversation, saying the Luce looks like an EV, but not necessarily like a Ferrari.
At a glance
- Jay Leno has shared a critical but measured view of the Ferrari Luce, the marque’s first electric vehicle.
- The Luce uses four electric motors producing a combined 1,050 hp, with a claimed 0-62 mph time of 2.5 seconds.
- Ferrari is accepting bookings for the Luce, with pricing starting at $640,000.
Leno’s issue is with identity, not beauty
Speaking with Ferrari ambassador, collector and entrepreneur David Lee, Leno framed his reaction less as a rejection of the car and more as a question of what a Ferrari should look and feel like.
His line was direct. “It looks like an electric car; it just doesn’t look like a Ferrari.”
He also made clear that he doesn’t find the Luce unattractive, which is an important distinction.
The criticism is aimed at the car’s category-blending shape and intent, rather than its execution.
Leno put it in typically practical terms, saying, “Ferrari is a sports car, and a station wagon is a station wagon. A station wagon that’s half a sports car and can also carry a surfboard… I don’t like cars that do a lot of things.”
That view speaks to a long-running tension in the high-performance world, where versatility can broaden a car’s appeal while also softening the purity that some enthusiasts expect.
The Luce arrives with serious electric performance
Whatever debate surrounds its silhouette, the Luce is not short on numbers.
Ferrari’s first EV is powered by four electric motors producing a combined 1,050 hp.
The claimed performance figures put it firmly in modern hyper-EV territory, with 0-62 mph taking 2.5 seconds and 0-124 mph arriving in 6.8 seconds.
Those figures show Ferrari isn’t approaching electrification as a compliance exercise.
The Luce is being positioned as a serious high-performance machine, even if its form gives traditionalists something to argue about.
A car shaped by decisions made years ago
Lee added useful context to the discussion by pointing out that cars like the Luce can’t be created as instant reactions to the market mood.
A model of this complexity takes years to develop and bring to production, meaning Ferrari’s electric strategy would have been set in motion long before the current wave of enthusiast debate.
Lee suggested planning may have begun roughly seven years ago, which underlines how far ahead major manufacturers have to commit when developing a new platform and design direction.
That matters because the Luce is not simply a new Ferrari with a different powertrain.
It represents the company’s first attempt to translate its identity into a fully electric product, and that translation was never likely to satisfy everyone at first glance.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Ferrari |
|---|---|
| Model | Luce |
| Vehicle type | First Ferrari electric vehicle |
| Powertrain | Four electric motors |
| Power | 1,050 hp |
| 0-62 mph | 2.5 seconds |
| 0-124 mph | 6.8 seconds |
| Starting price | $640,000 |
| Availability | Bookings currently being accepted |
The Luce may be fast enough to silence most performance doubts, but its real test will be emotional rather than numerical.
For buyers open to a broader, electric vision of Maranello, it could feel like a necessary next chapter; for purists, Leno’s hesitation will probably sound familiar.
