Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna said Ferrari’s all-electric model will be launched in just over a year, but early testing shows it has all the driving characteristics and emotions of a true Ferrari.
“The final judge will be the customer,” Wigner told CNBC at the inauguration of the company’s new electronics building in Maranello, Italy. “More and more people are starting to drive our electric Ferraris and they feel great. The driving characteristics are there.”
Vigna said Ferrari’s defining characteristic is the emotional experience. Having driven an all-electric Ferrari himself, he said: “I have such sentiments.”
Ferrari’s plan to build an electric model marks a bold and expensive bet for the luxury automaker known for its roaring, powerful internal combustion engines. Little is known about the electric model, which is not expected to be launched until the fourth quarter of 2025.
Much of the debate centers on engine sound. Ferrari powertrains are revered for their roars, rumbles, pops and high-pitched whines. The electric motor is essentially silent.
Vigna said Ferrari’s power acoustics will always be “authentic,” meaning the company won’t try to recreate the sound of an internal combustion engine through fake audio programs. However, he hinted that it could amplify or better showcase the natural sounds of electric motors.
“Electric engines are not quiet,” he said. “There’s a way to make it work in a unique way.”
Vigna added that the sound of the engine is just part of the emotional experience of driving a supercar.
“You interact with your eyes, with your ears, with your whole body,” he said. “When you talk about the Ferrari experience, the driving characteristics of the car, you’re talking about having a unique emotion when you’re in the car. Because it involves linear acceleration, lateral acceleration, braking experience, transmission changes. So there are many dimensions, And not just the sound.
Vigna declined to predict the price or overall sales of the all-electric Ferrari. He said that in addition to electric models, the automaker will continue to offer customers the choice of internal combustion engines and hybrid models. He said Ferrari would remain “technology neutral,” meaning it would let customers choose their powertrains.
A Ferrari in production sits in Building E of the supercar manufacturer in Maranello, Italy.
Liu Jingjing | CNBC
The new E Building, covering more than 400,000 square feet and costing more than €200 million ($215 million) to build, will allow Ferrari to build cars with any of its three powertrains at the same factory for the first time, maximizing Efficiency and flexibility.
“The choice is the customer’s,” Vigna said.
The CEO said that while he expected some customers would never buy an electric Ferrari, others would make the switch, while some drivers would only “become part of the Ferrari family” if they were able to buy an electric car.
With the new electronics building, the company will also be able to better meet market demand.
Ferrari produced fewer than 14,000 cars last year, but demand remains strong enough that waiting times for some models are as long as three years. Vigna said the new electronics building would allow the supercar maker to expand production, but he declined to provide specific targets.
“Waiting is part of the experience of owning a Ferrari,” Vigna said.
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