Ferrari’s Luce EV, despite generating polarised opinions in the global automobile circuit, has proven to be a winning bet for the Italian luxury car maker.
The one-off version of the vehicle, at a recent auction, got sold for USD 40 million, with the automaking giant intending to use the proceeds for education projects to help young people.
“The vehicle, known as ‘Chassis 0’ and created by its Tailor Made division and design centre, set a world record for a new car sold at auction, surpassing the USD 26 million achieved by a one-off Ferrari Daytona SP3 auctioned in 2025,” Ferrari said.
The auction, in partnership with RM Sotheby’s during Monterey Car Week, arrived at a perfect time for Ferrari, as the latter seeks to rebuild its market momentum in the sport car segment. The car, upon its unveiling in May 2026, got branded as the most radical product launch in the company’s history.
At its launch, the 550,000 euro (USD 638,400) five-seat, four-door electric vehicle triggered a heated debate among Ferrari enthusiasts, analysts and on social media, drawing criticism over its unconventional styling and its break with the Italian venture’s combustion-engine heritage.
There were questions about whether wealthy clientele, Ferrari’s main customer base, would embrace a fully electric version of the sports car. The results from the auction will effectively shut down those apprehensions. It appears that Ferrari is also making a significant investment in Luce, as the company recently expressed its satisfaction with the orders for its first EV.
As per the CEO Benedetto Vigna, “Two months after the launch, the company was very pleased with how orders were proceeding.”
It aligns with our expectations. Clients who put orders in are both existing and new ones, and the trend too is in line with our expectations,” he told reporters, adding that Ferrari would be sticking to its future EV plans.
“When clients see the car, they’re really enthusiastic and pleased. It’s a product they have to buy if they love it, if they have a genuine interest in it,” Vigna said, dismissing suggestions that Ferrari was resorting to aggressive marketing or pressure on loyal customers to push sales.
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Ferrari has already hit Luce’s 2026 annual sales target of just under 500 units thanks to strong China demand, as per the Financial Times (FT).
Hitting back at the detractors, the carmaker, in June, said the “unconventional appearance” was largely dictated by aerodynamic requirements and needed to be “digested” before it could be understood.
Luce’s strong demand has also resulted in Ferrari raising its forecasts for full-year revenue, core profit and cash, with the Q2 results beating analysts’ expectations.
The Italian company projected that its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) would increase to at least 2.97 billion euros (USD 3.41 billion) in 2026, up from 2.77 billion euros in 2025, compared to a previous forecast of at least 2.93 billion euros.
Image Courtesy: Ferrari