Ferrari Luce Spotted in San Francisco. Is It Really That Bad?

The Ferrari Luce was spotted in San Francisco, California, a short while ago, and it doesn't really look that bad. The keyboard warriors who have been throwing virtual rotten tomatoes at it might change their minds when they see it on camera or in person.

Ferrari's first zero-tailpipe-emission model was spotted driving around in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District. The building that shows up in the video is the historic Russ Building, located at 235 Montgomery Street.

The production crew actually blocked off active streets during weekday daytime traffic. The car was recorded doing multiple high-speed acceleration runs on Davis Street, Sacramento Street, and the intersection of Sansome Street and California Street. That is where Ferrari filmed its promotional video.

Witnesses claim the crew was filming the Luce with the help of another car that was rigged with camera equipment. The cars drove past each other at high speed repeatedly. It happened just weeks before the car was officially unveiled in Rome in late May 2026.

The Luce on the set was finished in the iconic Azzurro La Plata, a light shade of blue, paired with high-gloss pillars and a black roof. Ferrari actually offers 35 exterior paint options for the model, which are divided into four categories: Standard, Heritage, Classic, and Special. The Azzuro La Plata is one of the Special paint options. 

The Luce's presence in downtown San Francisco, first time rolling out on public roads, in broad daylight, with no camouflage whatsoever, generated quite a buzz, as pedestrians took out their phones to capture footage of the polarizing EV and post it online. Photos and videos of the EV showed up on social media and on Reddit.

Ferrari's executives promised car enthusiasts that they might change their minds when they see it in person. Until then, for the keyboard warriors, it remains the "iPhone on wheels," the "Apple car with a Ferrari badge on it," or the "Ferrari Multipla," with reference to the first-generation Fiat Multipla, which is widely considered the world's ugliest car.

The controversial EV's look is the creation of former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and renowned industrial designer Marc Newson, in collaboration with Ferrari's Design Studio in Maranello, Italy. However, Ferrari found a fall guy for the backlash that the Luce has had to deal with since day one.

The Italian firm escorted the Chief Marketing Officer of 13 years, Enrico Galliera, out of his office just last week and replaced him with a former President and CEO of BMW Group Italy, Massimiliano Di Silvestre, who had spent 17 years with the German company before joining the Ferrari team. 

Di Silvestre is the one tasked with making the Luce a lovable product. CEO Benedetto Vigna says Ferrari has received "strong interest" for its first-ever EV from both new and existing customers. So while people criticize it online, the Italian marque is cashing in.

For instance, all 88 units reserved for the Chinese market were sold out in the blink of an eye. Why aren't we surprised?