Ferrari made history twice on Tuesday: unveiling the Luce to the new pontiff at Castel Gandolfo, and absorbing a 6.6% drop in its stock price before markets closed.
Ferrari marked the global launch of its first all-electric vehicle by presenting the new Luce to Pope Leo XIV at his residence in Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday morning. The encounter brought together two of the most potent names in Italian cultural life and offered the Maranello carmaker one of the most resonant possible stages for a historic debut. The markets, however, were less moved: Ferrari’s share price fell 6.6% to €289 in early trading.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received a Ferrari delegation led by Chairman John Elkann and Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna, along with other company executives and engineers, at the Castel Gandolfo residence. As a tribute, Elkann donated the car’s steering wheel to the Pontiff.
“It was a great emotion and an immense honour to meet His Holiness together with my Ferrari colleagues,” Elkann said. “This was a moment of extraordinary human and symbolic value, inspiring all the people in our company to continue their journey with passion, responsibility, and confidence in the future. An occasion that will remain forever in our memories, and in Ferrari’s history.”
What is the Luce?
The Ferrari Luce — luce being the Italian word for “light” — is a full-size luxury four-door sedan and the brand’s first production electric vehicle. It is powered by four radial-flow permanent-synchronous electric motors, one per wheel, producing a combined 1,113 horsepower, and is equipped with a 122 kWh NMC battery supplied by SK On, with a range of 331 miles (531 km). The car charges at up to 350 kW. Assemblage takes place at a dedicated new facility in Maranello known as the E-Building.
Technologies derived from Ferrari’s motorsport programme have been deployed to contain the Luce’s kerb weight to 2,260 kg. Performance figures are firmly in supercar territory: 0–100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, 0–200 km/h in 6.8 seconds, a top speed in excess of 310 km/h, and a range exceeding 530 km. The design was developed by Ferrari’s Centro Stile under Flavio Manzoni, in collaboration with LoveFrom, the creative studio founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson.
The Luce will go on sale at a list price of €550,000, with first customer deliveries scheduled for the end of 2026.
“With Ferrari Luce, we are once again redefining the limits of what is possible,” said Elkann. “Today, we are not simply unveiling a new car, we are inaugurating a chapter that turns our vision into reality, strengthening Ferrari’s tradition of anticipating and shaping the future.”
A papal premiere and a stock market reality check
The decision to present the car to the new pontiff at Castel Gandolfo carries considerable weight. The Luce was first announced at Ferrari’s Capital Markets Day in October 2025 and has been one of the most anticipated automotive unveilings in recent years. That the company chose a papal audience as the occasion for its real-world debut underscores the symbolic ambition surrounding the car.
Investors, however, responded with caution. The 6.6% drop in Ferrari’s share price on Tuesday reflects longstanding market scepticism about whether the brand’s core clientele will embrace an electric four-door sedan at half a million euros. Ferrari has consistently argued that the Luce expands rather than replaces its existing lineup, positioning it as a grand tourer for a new era rather than a replacement for the V12 models that remain central to the brand’s identity.
