Common sense may be breaking out amid the ranks of Ferrari’s decision-makers as rumors circulate that the luxury performance automaker may delay the launch of its second battery-electric vehicle for a second time.
Sources tell Reuters news agency that the iconic Italian sports brand will pull back the model’s scheduled launch from next year to at least 2028 as a reaction to the slower-than-expected demand for premium luxury BEVs.
Ferrari’s first BEV model is due to be launched in a three-phase process beginning in October, which many will see as a litmus test for whether it proceeds with any more all-electric models when its customer base is fiercely loyal to loud, powerful internal-combustion gasoline powerplants.
For while the brand has embraced electrification since beginning sales of hybrid sports cars in 2019, the technology mirrors what its Formula One racing team uses, retaining the roaring exhaust notes that the brand is famous for, and meets the benchmark standards of its racing-obsessed tifosi.
One source says the brand executives do not believe that there is a suitable level of consumer demand for an electric sports car and that overall soft demand for luxury BEVs is the main reason for the delay. Ferrari has declined to comment.
The move follows other luxury automaker delays in launching a BEV model such as Lamborghini, which has delayed the launch of its first BEV from 2028 to 2029. Porsche, too, has cut back its plans for BEVs amid soft sales of its electric Macan SUV and Taycan models.
Earlier this year, Maserati canceled plans for an electric version of its MC20 sports car albeit we are waiting for an announcement on its future business strategy that may include BEV options.
According to another source, Ferrari’s latest move is the second delay of its planned second model having originally planned a launch for next year but now pushed back to 2028 because demand for a high-performance BEV is currently “zero.”
The source says that internally, Ferrari's second electric car is seen as the real game changer for its EV strategy, while the first one is more of a low-volume, symbolic milestone model that will meet the automaker’s promise to launch its first EV in 2026.
Ferrari's first BEV, co-designed by former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive, is expected to be priced at more than $500,000. One of the sources tells Reuters it is a typical sport Ferrari, larger than most but not an SUV.
The source adds that the second BEV is expected to be a more affordable model targeting Ferrari’s usual sales strategy of delivering 5,000 to 6,000 cars over a five-year production run, something considered unsustainable in the face of current consumer demand.
