The Apple Car That Never Was? iPhone Designer Jony Ive's Makeover For Ferrari Luce Interiors Sends Online Banter Into Overdrive

• The Luce will be a standard, special-order model rather than a limited edition, with the exterior set for a May 2026 reveal.
• The interior was presented in San Francisco alongside LoveFrom, led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
• The cabin rejects screen-heavy EV trends in favor of physical controls and compact displays.

Ferrari’s (RACE) first all-electric sports car isn’t being talked about for its battery or range. Instead, the unveiling of Ferrari Luce’s interior on Monday set off a wave of banter online about touchscreens, tactile controls and the legacy of an iPhone-inspired car design. 

RACE stock rose 0.7% on Monday to hit $336.13, but ended slightly lower in after-hours trading. 

Ferrari Introduces ‘Luce’

The Luce will be Ferrari’s first full-electric production vehicle and is expected to be a standard model in the lineup rather than a limited edition, though it will remain a special order. Pricing and launch timing were not disclosed. Ferrari said the exterior design will be unveiled in Italy in May 2026, completing the final phase of the rollout.

The reveal was hosted in San Francisco by Ferrari alongside LoveFrom, the creative studio founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and designer Marc Newson. Ferrari said LoveFrom has worked with the company for roughly five years on every aspect of the Luce’s design.

Ferrari Rejects Screen-Heavy Interior Trend

The Luce’s interior departs from the screen-heavy layouts common across much of the EV market. Ferrari said the cabin was conceived as a single, simplified volume focused on driving, combining mechanical buttons, dials, toggles and switches with compact digital displays.

The key elements for the vehicle include a mostly aluminum steering wheel with a limited set of controls, a movable instrument binnacle that shifts with the steering column, and a central touchscreen roughly the size of a small tablet. Physical switches surround the display for functions such as climate control and seat adjustments, alongside a clock that can transition into a chronograph.

Ferrari said hardware and software were developed together so that physical architecture and interface behavior feel cohesive, rather than layered.

Ferrari Luce Ignites Heavy Social Media Banter

The reveal quickly sparked discussion on X, with Jordan Golson, an automobile journalist, saying he spent a day with Jony Ive, Marc Newson, and the interior of Ferrari’s first electric car. He said, "It isn't just a new Ferrari. It's Ive's argument that the entire car industry copied the wrong part of the iPhone."

Tesla Influencer Nic Cruz Patane said, "Everything is very Apple-esque. This is as close as you’re going to get to an Apple Car lol."

“Ooh, everything on the Ferrari Luce by Jony Ive sounds so… tactile. I love it,” Ray Wong, a senior editor at tech-based news outlet Gizmodo, said, adding that Ive’s design language is often mistaken for oversimplification.

"An Apple Car designed by Ive wouldn’t have looked or sounded like this. The vision for that was different—passengers relaxing in a cabin on wheels controlled by Siri. It would have been a different experience. The Luce is a Ferrari, and people who buy Ferraris are interested in driving, not being driven," Wong said.

From Apple Car Concept To Ferrari Luce

The collaboration has drawn attention because of Ive’s long association with Apple, during which he spent years on early design work for an Apple-branded vehicle that was ultimately shelved. That project envisioned a fully autonomous car centered on large displays and an interior designed for relaxation rather than driving.

Speaking about the Ferrari Luce at the San Francisco event, Ive contrasted that earlier exploration with Ferrari’s approach, saying that the use of electric power does not require interiors to be dominated by digital interfaces, Bloomberg reported. “I think particularly as the power source affords an incredible set of opportunities, we are missing some things we love about our old Ferraris,” he added.

Ive said that while self-driving technology is “mind-blowing,” large touchscreens can disconnect drivers from the driving experience, and that physical controls remain important even as electric power opens new design possibilities.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for RACE flipped to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bearish’ after the reveal amid ‘extremely high’ message volume.

One user said, “I hope it breaks 300$ so I can buy in!”

Another user expects the stock to reach $380 soon.

RACE stock has declined 24% over the past 12 months.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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