Ferrari CEO defends his pure electric vehicle: He cannot understand the doubts from the outside world and the price is high because innovation requires a price

Ferrari's first pure electric model Luce has been controversial since its release on May 26.The exterior design is said to be "unlike Ferrari", and the starting price of 550,000 euros is far higher than the brand's average selling price.Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna recently responded publicly to defend Luce.He expressed that he could not understand the doubts from the outside world and said that high selling prices were a reasonable price for innovation.

It is reported that Ferrari Luce sells for 550,000 euros, which is higher than Ferrari’s average selling price in 2025 of about 440,000 euros, equivalent to about 4.35 million yuan.

In his response, Vigna said: "Innovation requires a price. If you don't pay for innovation, there will be no innovation." He emphasized that the 550,000 euros is not to compete with Tesla, Porsche or China's high-end electric vehicles, but to tell the original customers: This is still a Ferrari, not an ordinary EV with a horse badge.

In response to the outside world's doubts about the appearance design of Luce, Vigna expressed his incomprehension and said, "You have to see Luce with your own eyes to understand the difference between it and Chinese electric vehicles."

It is understood that Luce was co-created by former Apple design guru Sir Jony Ive. It adopts a four-door and five-seater layout, and its minimalist design language is very different from Ferrari's traditional sports car image. The former chairman of Ferrari even publicly criticized it, questioning its destruction of the brand's legend, and even complained about "can the Prancing Horse logo be removed from this car?"

Despite the huge controversy, Vigna revealed that Luce has received orders from new and old customers, and some customers took the initiative to write letters expressing interest and placing orders.He said that Ferrari has proven its ability to build electric cars, and the launch of Luce does not mean giving up traditional engines.

However, the capital market’s response to Luce was not favorable. On the day of the press conference, Ferrari's stock price fell 8%. Investors were obviously cautious about this pure electric model that subverted the brand's tradition. As for whether Vigna's tough defense can quell the controversy, the market still needs to give an answer.