I almost wrote about the new Ferrari Luce electric vehicle a week or so ago. In the end, I got busy with other things and then decided I didn’t really need to write about a car that costs about twice the price of my home. But now there’s more news about the Ferrari Luce out there, so let’s get into it. First of all, this is my take: I was seeing headlines about the huge backlash to and disappointment in the Luce before I saw a picture of it. Once I saw pictures, I could see why there was backlash — it didn’t really look like a Ferrari and there are some design elements that people may really not be into. However, to me, it looked like a super futuristic — almost unreal — car that you’d see in a futuristic movie, whether a sci-fi movie or a kind of James Bond 2050. I thought it looked fun and unique. At half a million dollars, frankly, I’d want something truly unique and cool like this. And remember that it was designed by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive. As a legend in the field of design, he wasn’t going to just do a normal Ferrari look. And it’s not surprising that the Luce has a kind of Apple like vibe. I think it’s a cool looking car, even if it isn’t anything like a traditional Ferrari. Well, I’m not the only one who didn’t buy into the online backlash. Of course, I don’t have the money for a Ferrari Luce, so it’s hard to imagine what it would really be like to have the option to buy one. So I also wondered — well, what will people in this market actually think of the Luce and do? News out of China is that the Luce is actually a big hit. The country has already sold out of its allocation of the model. (Perhaps its allocation will increase….) According to reports, 88 people have already bought the Luce. Furthermore, that’s despite the China-born Yangwang U9 being both faster and cheaper. Also, this is despite the fact that Ferrari has not been doing particularly well in China and has been losing market share. So, clearly, Chinese buyers (with enough money) have decided the Luce is better than what the company has been offering and more relevant to what is happening and the future of the world. That blows up the idea that it’s a disappointment! Of course, China is also one of the fastest countries to electrify new vehicle sales, and the biggest EV market in the world by far. In May, 63% of new vehicle sales were plugins, and 42% were full electrics. The Ferrari Luce retails at 3,988,000 yuan in China, which is about $587,000 at current exchange rates. The aforementioned Yangwang U9 costs just $260,000…. (BYD execs must be fuming. But, hey, it’s a cool new Ferrari with a unique look. For now, at least. I do expect we’ll see some similarly designed vehicles coming out down the road in China….)