Ferrari's first EV sold out its entire China allocation in days

Ferrari’s first-ever production EV arrived in China last week to plenty of skepticism. Three days later, every single one was spoken for.

The Luce — Ferrari’s maiden electric vehicle and one of the most debated car launches of the year — launched in China on June 26 with a starting price of 3.988 million yuan, or roughly $550,000. All 88 units allocated to the Chinese market have been sold, according to automotive outlet carnewschina.

On paper, the Luce shouldn’t be competitive here at all. BYD’s U9 costs roughly half as much, charges faster, accelerates from 0-100 km/h more violently, and packs over 200 more horsepower across its four-motor drivetrain. By every conventional performance metric, the comparison isn’t close.

But Ferrari isn’t positioning the Luce as a competitor to China’s hypercar upstarts. The company describes the vehicle as a “high-end lifestyle vehicle for the wealthy” rather than a track weapon. The 88 buyers, in all likelihood, never cross-shopped the Luce against a BYD or a Xiaomi SU7. At this price point, brand cachet and novelty matter more than 0-100 times.

That hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning. Industry chatter suggests the Luce functions as a de facto loyalty test — a car wealthy collectors are expected to purchase before gaining access to future limited-edition Ferraris. Dealers, the theory goes, are using the allocation to filter serious customers from casual buyers.

Ferrari’s former chief marketing officer, Enrico Galliera, has denied this repeatedly, insisting the Luce targets “a completely different customer group, not the core circle of traditional Ferrari collectors.” If those 88 buyers show up on the reservation lists for Ferrari’s next halo supercar, the industry will know the truth soon enough.