Ferrari nudges clients to buy its €550,000 Luce EV to improve access to future supercars

Ferrari NV is using orders for its Luce electric car as a loyalty test for wealthy clients, signalling that support for the poorly received model may help preserve access to more desirable cars, people familiar with the matter said.

The message that purchasing the €550,000 ($636,000) Ferrari Luce is a stepping stone to other, exclusive models has been delivered across parts of Ferrari’s collector network, the people said, asking not to be identified for privacy reasons. Ferrari has long used this allocation system to give repeat buyers of its standard models priority access to limited editions like the $2.1 million LaFerrari Aperta.

“It is like a restaurant where it is impossible to get a table,” Max Girardo, founder of collector-car advisory firm Girardo & Co. and a former RM Sotheby’s auctioneer and motor-car specialist, said in an interview. “If you go every week, eventually they find you one. With Ferrari, the more you buy, the more you are treated as an important client.”

The buy-the-Luce suggestion follows the four-door car’s rocky introduction last month, unveiling a design that faced a wave of criticism for its smooth lines and rounded edges.

For its first battery-only model, the supercar maker departed from its usual team to pick Apple Inc.’s former design chief Jony Ive’s LoveFrom studio to come up with the model’s look. Commentators decried the design as bland, comparing it to existing mass-market Honda Motor Co. and Tesla Inc. models.

Bloomberg spoke with more than half a dozen investors and collectors from Italy to China to gather details about how Ferrari communicated with clients following the Luce’s presentation.

One buyer said Ferrari made clear to him that taking the car mattered if he wanted to keep his place among top clients. Another collector said the company is signalling to many clients, especially potential new buyers, that access to a future one-off model may first depend on buying the Luce or cheaper entry-level models.

Ferrari confirmed the company prioritises those with “long-term, strong relationships” when choosing buyers “for highly sought-after models, such as limited editions,” according to an emailed response. “In selecting clients, the emphasis is placed on his or her personal connection to the model, rather than on whether it improves client ranking.”

The manufacturer, which produces fewer than 14,000 cars a year, has long relied on the scarcity of its models as a selling point. It’s a strategy shared with luxury-goods companies like Hermes International SCA, which has long waiting lists for certain handbags and favours loyal clients who’ve previously purchased less coveted items.

While Ferrari is presenting the Luce as a way for clients to strengthen their standing, buyers can also demonstrate loyalty through less costly series-production models such as the Amalfi and 296 GTB, with base prices of about €240,000 and €290,000.

Grouping the Luce among vehicles that can act as a pathway to future purchases may indicate that the new EV lacks the cachet of one of Ferrari’s limited-edition cars. The strategy also carries risks for the company, testing whether loyal buyers are willing to support a car that departs from the Italian brand’s signature combustion engine powertrain.

“Most people seem to hate the car and say it’s ugly,” said Paul Welch, founder of MillionPlus, an online platform for luxury assets, including Ferraris. But “some people are thinking about buying it just to get access for future cars and go higher up the waiting list – a lot of people play that game.”

In the days after the Rome unveil, Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna said Ferrari had received orders from existing and new customers.

While Ferrari is in a class of its own among carmakers, the Maranello-based company has dealt with models falling short before. The Mondial, produced between 1980 to 1993, is usually cited as a less successful car, though even models considered less desirable often go on to have a solid standing among collectors. The entry-level Mondial featured four seats and a mid-size V8 engine. Designed for broader use, its additional weight made it slower than typical Ferrari models.

Cars are the top luxury spending category for ultra-wealthy individuals, particularly in the Middle East, according to research published this month by HSBC Holdings Plc. Ferraris are especially popular because of their exclusivity, heritage and potential to increase in value.

Prices have withstood the broader slump in the luxury market in recent years. Values for luxury cars more than 30% over the past decade, beating prices for art and coloured diamonds over the same period, according to Knight Frank’s 2026 Wealth Report.

Ferrari collectors include David Lee, the owner and chief executive officer of Hing Wa Lee Jewelers in Los Angeles, and Canadian real estate tycoon Luc Poirier.