Jony Ive's interior for the forthcoming Ferrari Luce electric vehicle is typically well thought out, but it's divided car fans. Now Ferrari's CEO has spoken out about the decision to not use his own designers.
Ferrari is working to build up interest in its first-ever electric car ahead of the full unveiling which is expected in May. It began with the reveal of Jony Ive and Marc Newsom's interior — and that's got Ferrari the kind of attention it might not be grateful for.
Some Ferrari fans have been questioning why the company had to turn to LoveFrom, Ive's company, at all. Others are simply dismayed at the results — the overwhelming majority of AppleInsider forum comments are negative.
"Wow, that's ugly," goes one, while others ask "Does it drive like the puck mouse?"
There are more positive comments, such as one saying "wow, that's really sleek and kinda gorgeous." And one single comment is just cautious: "It looks rather generic but I applaud the return of more physical and tactile controls."
Ferrari's reasons for choosing Ive
Now the BBC's Top Gear magazine has published an interview about the Luce with Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. It appears to have been conducted before reactions to the interior were known, but still Vigna is pressed about why he used Ive.
"You look around to see who has done a good job in terms of the user interface," said Vigna. "I also worked with them at Apple."
Vigna doesn't mean he worked at Apple. Rather, he was with STMicroelectronics — an Apple supplier involved in the Apple Pencil amongst other things — for over 20 years. He left there to become CEO of Ferrari in 2021, and says that the company was already talking about using LoveFrom.
L-R: Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna, Ferrari chairman John Elkann, Ferrari CDO Flavio Manzoni, Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson — image credit: Ferrari
"John [Elkann, executive chairman] actually asked me about LoveFrom when we were talking about the Ferrari CEO position," he continued. "We are talking about a new kind of car, a new kind of technology, so I think it's good to work with them."
What Ferrari wanted from Ive
It was actually Elkann who brought LoveFrom on board with the plans for an electric car. But Vigna has also insisted that Ferrari has always sought "open innovation" with many partners.
"If you want to break the idea that electric means digital and too many screens, something that's too difficult for the user," he said, "then work with the people who have the experience."
"We focus on what is under our control, and what we commit to," continued Vigna. "We believe that doing an electric car is important because we are a leading luxury company, and if we want to continue to be a leader we need to show that we are not afraid to embrace change."
What Ferrari lacked
Despite Ferrari having its own Chief Design Officer in Flavio Manzoni, Vigna says that the whole subject of design was something new to him as CEO. With his background in engineering and technology, he saw design as just styling.
"Personally, I wasn't so immersed in design," Vigna says. "I got this completely wrong."
"Working on this collaboration, I got to appreciate the value of industrial design," he continued. "What I've learned is that design has the same depth to it as any other discipline."
So despite Ferrari's history of designing luxury cars, under Vigna design has new impetus as a way to differentiate the company — and maintain its status as a luxury brand.
What LoveFrom brings to Ferrari
Bringing in Jony Ive and Marc Newson's LoveFrom does get Ferrari world-class designers. But it also gets the firm world-class designers with an extraordinarily high profile.
Just look at the interest generated by the reveal of the car's interior — not the whole car, solely its interior. Ferrari was guaranteed headlines because of this collaboration.
It may have hoped for more positive ones, but in terms of getting attention, working with Ive on the launch of this car is already a gigantic success.
Ferrari Luce concentrates on physical controls more than digital screens — image credit: Ferrari
That's perhaps especially true right now as the whole car industry is undergoing greater change than ever. No car company can ignore the move to electric vehicles, but equally with every firm doing that same move, it's hard to stand out.
So completely apart from the actual design benefits of using Jony Ive, Ferrari has bought itself a spotlight. No one, certainly in the car industry, is going to miss the fact that Ferrari is launching its first-ever electric vehicle.
That's not to reduce LoveFrom's work to the status of an advertisement. While reactions so far have been extreme, this is a case where those opinions may well change once people can drive the Ferrari Luce.
And if not then, they may change when — inevitably — other car companies mimic what Jony Ive has done here.
Ferrari is getting the kind of criticism that Apple might have expected with its Apple Car. But then Ferrari has completed its project, while Apple has abandoned its one.
