This Ferrari should have been a Volkswagen

Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle, the Luce, has drawn strong reactions from fans and critics, with comparisons to other electric cars. The exterior appears unusual because Ferrari’s legacy models are defined by hard angles, creating a sharper contrast. The interior is presented as the key design story, emphasizing a balance between sensory experiences and usability. The vehicle’s design work with LoveFrom is framed as evidence that a “Goldilocks zone” exists for modern car interiors. The piece argues that physical switches can be more graceful, efficient, and enjoyable than converting every control into touchscreen presses, citing the alienating feel of large touchscreen displays like the Mercedes EQS Hyperscreen.

"There are lots of arguments for and against the everything-is-a-touchscreen modern car. Ferrari's new design, built with Jony Ive and Marc Newson's design agency, LoveFrom, is more proof that there can be a happy middle ground - perhaps a Goldilocks zone of car interiors that successfully blends sensory experiences. I can picture Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy looking at this thing and once again uttering: "it's biodigital jazz, man.""

"I'm a huge fan of physical switches over touchscreens because when done right, they're graceful, efficient, and fun as hell to use. Reducing every tactile input to the same kind of press on a giant touchscreen that dominates the interior of a vehicle feels both tacky and unwieldy. I recently got to see the gigantic 56-inch Mercedes EQS EV "Hyperscreen" and thought I was inside a clown version of the Las Vegas Sphere."

"The Luce looks weird because Ferrari isn't asking to have its edges sanded off. Its most iconic models, like 1987's F40, are defined by hard angles. That makes the contrast between Luce and legacy even sharper. But look beyond the Luce's cover to find a compelling design story on the inside."

"Whatever. The competition should steal this design. Whether they own a Ferrari or just have a poster of a Testarossa on their wall, fans in the Ferrari-verse are frothy about the Luce, the company's first all-electric vehicle. According to one highly rated Verge commenter: "looks like a Polestar had a one-night stand with a Prius.""

Read at The Verge