Physix Frontier · News Briefing Card (IT Home · Oct 9, 2026)

Ferrari Chairman: EV Idea Began with 2016 Walk with Bezos

KEY FACTS

Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said he began seriously considering building an electric car after a walk and conversation with Jeff Bezos in July 2016.
Bezos said at the time that he didn't understand cars but did understand innovation, and advised Ferrari to seriously consider building an EV.
Ferrari's first all-electric model, the Luce, was unveiled in May this year, created in collaboration with Jony Ive's LoveFrom team.
After the Luce's debut, its exterior design was mocked on social media, and some investors questioned Ferrari's bet on electrification.
Ive's team spent nearly a year studying Ferrari's history before designing, then jointly developed the car with the Maranello team for five years.
The Luce makes heavy use of physical controls; Ive opposes touchscreens as a car's primary interaction method.

KEY DATA

July 2016Conversation date

nearly a yearPre-design research duration

five yearsJoint development duration

PHYSIX OBSERVATION

For ultra-luxury brands building EVs, the biggest challenge isn't the powertrain but identity. Ferrari, through Ive's hand, uses physical buttons to push back against the big-screen trend, preserving a sense of driving ritual for electrification. The controversy itself shows that old customers' anxiety is real, but if the actual driving experience can change impressions, this "anti-trend" design could become its differentiation moat.

Source: IT Home report