Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer, Enrico Galliera, is stepping down after 16 years at the company, just weeks after the troubled launch of the supercar maker’s first fully electric car.
Galliera will be succeeded, from July 1, by Massimiliano Di Silvestre, former president and chief executive of BMW Group Italy.
Ferrari said Galliera had “decided to embark on a new chapter in his professional journey”, a decision it described as having been agreed upon with the company “some time ago”.
The statement made no mention of the recent launch of the Luce, Ferrari’s first electric model.
The Luce electric vehicle was unveiled in May 2026 at a starting price of around 550,000 euro (roughly USD 640,000) and quickly drew criticism. Its styling, developed with LoveFrom, the design studio founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive, broke sharply from Ferrari’s traditional aesthetic. The four-door, five-seat family car has baffled fans and commentators alike by sharply deviating from its traditional looks of the Italian marque’s usual fare of low-slung, petrol-powered sports cars.
The reaction was unusually hostile for a brand more accustomed to admiration: Ferrari’s former chairman, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, warned the design risked harming the marque’s legacy, while Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, questioned the car’s price. Ferrari’s shares fell more than 8% the day after the unveiling.
Ferrari has rejected any suggestion that the backlash prompted Galliera’s exit. Vigna praised his contribution, saying he had “played a significant role in the company’s growth and in strengthening the Ferrari brand worldwide”, adding that he had “the gratitude of the entire Ferrari team” along with personal best wishes.
Since joining in 2010, Galliera oversaw how Ferrari allocates its limited-production cars among clients, a role central to preserving exclusivity in one of the world’s most sought-after luxury brands. He was involved in several landmark moments, including the 2013 launch of the LaFerrari hybrid hypercar and the company’s stock market listings in New York in 2015 and Milan in 2016.
Di Silvestre brings over two decades of experience in the premium and luxury car sector. His appointment marks a rare move by Ferrari to recruit its commercial chief from a rival rather than promote internally, as the brand navigates one of its most sensitive transitions: Introducing electric technology to a heritage built on combustion, sound and performance.
Talking about the controversies surrounding Luce EV, Ferrari’s Chief Product Development Officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi has hit back at the critics, stating that the vehicle concept needs to be “digested” before it can be understood.
“A car like this needs to be seen – and seen a lot; it needs to be digested, right? Otherwise your mind rejects certain solutions; it shuts them out,” Fulgenzi said on the sidelines of a tech event in Milan organised by Siemens.
As per Ferrari, despite the criticisms and backlash, customer interest in the Luce EV has remained strong, while it denies reports that the company was forcing its top clients to buy the Luce to qualify for the purchase of other limited-edition models.
“The car’s unconventional appearance, largely dictated by aerodynamic requirements, may lead some people to think it is not a real Ferrari, but that’s not true; it’s a different kind of Ferrari. Its bodyshell is the most complex in our range,” Fulgenzi said.
The Luce, which has four electric motors with a total of 1,050 horsepower, is reportedly capable of reaching a top speed of 310 kilometres per hour and accelerating from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds.
“When you get inside, you feel a certain kind of emotion, and when you drive it, you realise you’ve come back home, because those driving sensations that you get with other (Ferrari) cars, you also get with this one,” Fulgenzi concluded.
Photo Credit: Ferrari