Photo: @derek.photography via Instagram
The best-kept secret in the auto industry is about to be revealed, as Ferrari was caught testing a mule of its first electric sports car. The pictures that surfaced on social media might be deceiving, considering the prototype is hidden beneath a Maserati Levante body with a huge quad-pipe exhaust. Don't be fooled, though, as the yellow stickers adorning the sides make it clear that this test mule is powered by an electric motor, not a combustion engine.
Ferrari has been reluctant to embrace electrification, with former CEO Louis Camilleri convinced that an electric lineup would not happen during his lifetime. Even before that, in 2011, Luca di Montezemolo was confident that an electric Ferrari would never happen. However, "the times they are a-changing," to quote Dylan's song, so Ferrari accelerated its EV plans with Benedetto Vigna at the helm. Even before he took over, executive chairman John Elkann confirmed Ferrari's first EV in April 2021. Rumors show that Ferrari is already working on its second EV, even though we haven't seen the first one yet.
Or haven't we? Dutch photographer Derek Cornelissen has caught a strange prototype testing around Maranello. The test car combines a Maserati Levante body with Ferrari Roma headlights and features massive quad-pipe exhausts, the ones we've seen before on Ferrari's test vehicles. However, the yellow stickers affixed to the camouflaged body reveal that the exhausts are fake, this being an electric vehicle. The newly designed wheels also appear optimized for aerodynamics, as is the case with EVs.
The crossover body suggests Ferrari's upcoming electric vehicle might also arrive as a raised-body thoroughbred. However, this is most likely another decoy, at least when considering the rumored price of the Ferrari EV. At half a million euros (about $535K), the next EV will likely be an exotic supercar rather than a soccer-mom SUV. After all, Ferrari wants its first electric vehicle to become the talk of the town for exciting reasons, not mockery. If Ferrari launches an electric crossover (and the Purosangue showed genuine interest in that), it will not be its first model.
There's very little we know about the upcoming electric Ferrari. The sportscar maker hasn't even revealed its name. However, we know that it has prepared for its arrival with a dedicated production line in Maranello, north of the current Ferrari campus. Ferrari intends to manufacture in-house all electrical components, such as high-voltage batteries, electric motors, and axles.
Even though the exhaust pipes are obviously fake, don't think the Ferrari EV will spend its life in total silence. Earlier this month, patent filings showed that Ferrari intends to offer its electric supercar an "authentic sound." Unlike other EVs, the sound will not be synthesized from the car's speakers. Instead, a unique system comprising resonators and valves will amplify the natural noises from the electric motors.
Or haven't we? Dutch photographer Derek Cornelissen has caught a strange prototype testing around Maranello. The test car combines a Maserati Levante body with Ferrari Roma headlights and features massive quad-pipe exhausts, the ones we've seen before on Ferrari's test vehicles. However, the yellow stickers affixed to the camouflaged body reveal that the exhausts are fake, this being an electric vehicle. The newly designed wheels also appear optimized for aerodynamics, as is the case with EVs.
The crossover body suggests Ferrari's upcoming electric vehicle might also arrive as a raised-body thoroughbred. However, this is most likely another decoy, at least when considering the rumored price of the Ferrari EV. At half a million euros (about $535K), the next EV will likely be an exotic supercar rather than a soccer-mom SUV. After all, Ferrari wants its first electric vehicle to become the talk of the town for exciting reasons, not mockery. If Ferrari launches an electric crossover (and the Purosangue showed genuine interest in that), it will not be its first model.
There's very little we know about the upcoming electric Ferrari. The sportscar maker hasn't even revealed its name. However, we know that it has prepared for its arrival with a dedicated production line in Maranello, north of the current Ferrari campus. Ferrari intends to manufacture in-house all electrical components, such as high-voltage batteries, electric motors, and axles.
Even though the exhaust pipes are obviously fake, don't think the Ferrari EV will spend its life in total silence. Earlier this month, patent filings showed that Ferrari intends to offer its electric supercar an "authentic sound." Unlike other EVs, the sound will not be synthesized from the car's speakers. Instead, a unique system comprising resonators and valves will amplify the natural noises from the electric motors.
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