Ferrari has run into a wall of derision over the launch of its first electric car, which critics branded a lookalike of Nissan’s Leaf that sells for almost 15 times less.Shares in the Italian carmaker fell more than 6pc after the official unveiling of the battery-powered Luce. Investors feared Ferrari’s launch could become a repeat of Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) controversial failed rebrand.Italian politicians, former Ferrari executives and car enthusiasts lined up to mock the Luce. The electric vehicle (EV) is a radical departure from the luxury supercar’s traditional look, and has a price tag of €550,000 (£475,000).AdvertisementAdvertisementOne social media post on X, which has been viewed more than 1.7 million times, said the Luce looked remarkably similar to a Nissan Leaf, which the Japanese company debuted in 2011 and which sells for about £32,000 in the UK.Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the company’s former chairman, said the Luce “risks destroying the myth” of Ferrari, and should be stripped of the company’s prancing horse logo.Carlo Calenda, a senator who was previously an economic minister and an executive at the luxury carmaker, called it “an aesthetic and technological insult to anyone who loves Ferrari”.Like other supercar makers, Ferrari is having to embrace the EV revolution. However, the need to accommodate a battery, and the different aerodynamics of an EV, require a very different design.AdvertisementAdvertisementOther rebrands by car giants seeking to target EV drivers have prompted a backlash. In 2024, JLR tried to shift the marque away from its traditional “Jag man” image towards ultra-wealthy customers.Under the “Reimagine” programme, JLR is phasing out older Jaguar models, with plans to move to a new electric line-up.However, its first concept car under this relaunch was likened to the FAB 1 car driven by Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds and Barbie’s screaming pink convertible.Some fans have called for the Luce to be stripped of Ferrari’s prancing horse logoFor its redesign, Ferrari commissioned LoveFrom, a design studio led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, whose credits include the iPhone, iPad and MacBook.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe result has polarised opinion. Readers who left comments under a review of the Luce in La Repubblica, Italy’s main centre-Left newspaper, were overwhelmingly negative.“Ferrari has gone woke,” one said. Another took aim at John Elkann, the Ferrari executive chairman, saying: “After killing the glorious Maserati, now it’s the poor star-studded Ferrari’s turn.”One comment described the Luce as looking like “a slipper”, another compared it to “a boiler”.Many said the car was not just similar to the Nissan Leaf but was indistinguishable from the “anonymous” Chinese EVs now surging into Europe.“Ferrari is chasing Xiaomi,” said one reader, referring to the popular Chinese brand.AdvertisementAdvertisementMr di Montezemolo went further. “At least it’s a car the Chinese won’t copy,” he said.One commenter said the design had “copied the homework of a small Honda E hatchback”.Ferrari said the Luce “uniquely combines extraordinary Ferrari performance with the luxury of spaciousness”. Its website praised the “clarity and refined simplicity” of LoveFrom’s design.Mr Elkann said in April that the company would keep making hybrid and combustion-engine cars as well.At the end of 2025, the European Commission watered down its targets for phasing out petrol and diesel cars. Small manufacturers such as Ferrari were given an additional exemption that would allow them to keep making traditional cars for longer.AdvertisementAdvertisementMr Elkann said: “We believe that the future must be respectful of what customers want and the new rules on emissions.”Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.