when Apple After announcing the abandonment of the car-building plan that had been in development for many years, the outside world has always been curious about what would happen if the legendary designer Jony Ive What will the interior of the dominant Apple Car look like if it really comes out? Nowadays, a product from Ferrari The new pure electric car Ferrari Luce seems to have quietly provided clues.
Ferrari Luce’s electric car not only symbolizes the brand’s entry into a new era, but also hired a design team founded by Jony Ive to design the cockpit, showing extreme attention to detail from material selection to operating logic. It is not just a luxury car interior, it is more like a design experiment to rethink the “driving experience”, and it also makes people start to reimagine what future cars that have not yet appeared might look like.
Possibly the closest thing to an Apple Car? Ferrari’s first pure electric supercar, Ferrari Luce, is full of Apple-style interior design, designed by Jony Ive’s team
When Ferrari decided to enter the field of pure electric vehicles, the market was most concerned about performance and appearance. In fact, there was also a key question: How could this brand, known for its mechanical charm, redefine the driving experience in the electric era? Part of the answer lies in the upcoming Ferrari Luce. Luce means “light” in Italian and also symbolizes Ferrari’s new starting point towards electrification.
This is not just the first Ferrari modelelectric car, is a work that tries to break through the existing framework from concept to design. The most eye-catching focus is undoubtedly the interior, which is designed by the LoveFrom team. This design company was founded by Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive after leaving Apple in 2019.
When many people first see the Luce cockpit, what comes to mind may not be a sports car, but some kind of enlarged version of Apple products.
An extension of Apple’s aesthetics
If you’re familiar with Apple’s design language after the iPhone 4, Luce will give you a strong sense of déjà vu. The overall vision is dominated by rounded rectangles and circles, emphasizing perfect proportion and symmetry, and almost every line has been precisely calculated. At first glance, it even seems a bit calm and rational, but when you start to touch each component, you will find that the design is not just for display, but full of interactive fun.
Corning Gorilla Glass is used extensively in the cabin, with more than 40 pieces in number, and glass elements can be seen from around the gearbox to the instrument lens. Areas that are not made of glass are presented in anodized aluminum metal, with gray, dark gray and rose gold tones available, giving it a strong texture without losing the technological atmosphere. Does it sound a bit like describing a flagship phone? But unlike Apple’s strategy of gradually reducing physical buttons in recent years, LoveFrom went in the opposite direction on Luce and deliberately enhanced tactile feedback.
The Ferrari Luc gearbox has a clear damping feel when switching between each gear, the air-conditioning outlet opens and closes with a crisp sound, and the paddles behind the steering wheel also provide a solid feel. Together, these details create a sense of reality that the action is happening.
An operating philosophy designed for driving
Jony Ive once bluntly said that touch screens are suitable for mobile phones, but not suitable for driving. Because drivers should not look down for buttons, but should operate them by feel. Therefore, Luce’s cockpit is clearly divided into the driving area and the information area.
The steering wheel and instruments form the core space for focusing on driving, while functions such as air conditioning, seat heating and driving modes are controlled through physical knobs and switches.
Each mechanical operation triggers an instant response on the screen, forming an interactive experience that blends digital and physical. The instrument panel uses a stacked OLED display with a real moving mechanical pointer sandwiched in the middle. Even though this is an electric car without an engine, it still retains a visual rhythm similar to a tachometer. As the driving mode switches, the screen will change dynamically, creating a sense of ritual.
The steering wheel body adopts an exposed aluminum structure, and the glass and metal buttons above can be identified through touch, so there is no need to be distracted from viewing.
One of the impressive little touches is the wiper control knob. It has a built-in micro lens that magnifies the current settings and is actually a custom OLED panel behind it with a resolution of 200 ppi. This obsession with details can almost be said to be LoveFrom’s signature.
Turn “activation” into a ritual
Luce also has a very dramatic design: the glass car key. The surface of the key is equipped with E Ink display technology, which usually displays Ferrari’s classic yellow color and consumes almost no power. When the driver enters the car, the magnetic device in the center console guides the key to its location.
When pressed, the yellow gradually fades, as if energy is transferred to the glass area above the gearbox. Jony Ive calls this experience a “theater effect” that reimagines the moment when an electric vehicle starts.
The central control panel is also full of ingenuity. It has a 10.12-inch OLED screen with permeable mechanical switches and a glass volume knob.
The small clock in the upper right corner can be switched to a stopwatch or compass, and the hands will swing according to the mode.
The entire panel can even rotate and move, and the angle can be adjusted by grabbing the handle below. Even the seat slide rails have been shaped and anodized to be consistent with the overall interior.
Design and safety saw
Jony Ive admitted that the automotive industry is one of the most regulated fields he has ever been exposed to. There has to be a balance between design, functionality and safety, and while some limitations are understandable, they do add to the challenge. Yet the collaboration has clearly paid off for LoveFrom. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna is extremely passionate about the project, which also allows the team to explore more possibilities.
It is worth noting that the design style of Luce is more precise and rational than the traditional Ferrari, and less rough and wild. Some people may miss the mechanical sports car atmosphere, but this change may be Ferrari’s strategy to attract a new generation of customers.
The outside world still does not know the final appearance and price of the vehicle. Everything will not be announced until the full release in May. But at least judging from the interior, the Luce has managed to spark discussion. Not only is it a new take on Ferrari, it could also be the closest we get to an “Apple-style car.”
The emergence of Ferrari Luce has filled the imagination gap in the hearts of technology fans to some extent. Although the Apple Car is a thing of the past, through the design of LoveFrom, we can still get a glimpse of Jony Ive’s understanding of future transportation: reducing visual interference, enhancing tactile feedback, and making every operation emotional and ritualistic.
This car may not be as arrogant as a traditional Ferrari, but it shows another kind of luxury that comes from extreme details and human interaction. Electrification is not only a power transformation, but also has the potential to redefine the relationship between driving and cars.
When the complete model is officially unveiled, the market will inevitably discuss whether it is enough to represent Ferrari’s new generation spirit. But what is certain is that Luce has made people look forward to how far into the future an electric car led by design thinking can bring the driving experience.
Image source:Ferrari
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Source: KOCPC Chinese