First look: Apple reportedly canceled its long-hyped car project in 2024 after over a decade of development and a billion dollars of investment. However, high-income drivers who still wonder what the Cupertino giant might have envisioned should watch the gradual unveiling of Ferrari's first EV.
Ferrari recently revealed the name and dashboard of its first all-electric vehicle, the Luce (pronounced "Luche," Italian for "Light"). The instrument panel, designed by one of the most influential minds behind the iPod, iMac, MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPad, aims to blend modern digital sensibilities with the supercar brand's traditional analog feel.
Chief Product Development Officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi stated that the Luce is not an electric car, but rather an electric Ferrari. Despite the vehicle's touchscreen and mostly digital control system, conceived by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, it resembles a Ferrari more than an Apple car.
The steering wheel, for example, incorporates six physical dials for cruise control, windshield wipers, suspension, electric power management, and other systems. Mechanical paddles behind the wheel control torque, indicated through a digital torque meter above the speedometer.
The dials, including the speedometer and multi-function graph, combine mechanical hands with digital displays. The graph, located in the top-left corner of the center control panel, switches between a clock, a stopwatch, and a compass using two physical buttons.
Although the control panel itself is the most Apple-like element of the Luce's dashboard, incorporating a large OLED touchscreen, it still includes several analogue controls. While the display handles deep climate, media, and other controls, large physical switches along the bottom manage the primary settings. One of the panel's most unique features is the aluminum handle, used to pivot the interface toward either the driver or front-seat passenger.
The center console places a similar interface within reach of backseat passengers. Meanwhile, the shifter sits next to a dock for the rectangular key fob. Docking the fob starts the ignition. Additionally, an overhead control panel includes more torque controls and dials, while the seats offer multiple options for patterns, fabrics, and colors.
Designer Jony Ive was likely involved with Apple's ill-fated decade-long effort to develop an EV. Prior reports suggest that the company struggled to determine whether it wished to build a fully autonomous car from scratch, its own take on Tesla's vehicles, or provide a self-driving system to traditional automakers.
Ferrari unveiled the Luce's dashboard with the first in a series of three planned videos, which will culminate in the EV's full reveal and launch in May.