Here's Jony Ive's Ferrari Luce EV Interior and Interface Design

[MacRumors]

In 2021, Ferrari and its parent company Exor announced a multi-year creative partnership with LoveFrom, the design firm co-founded by Apple's former design chief Jony Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson. Now, in an event held at the Transamerica Pyramid, not far from LoveFrom's studio in San Francisco, Ferrari has shared the first results of that collab by unveiling the interior and interface of its first fully electric car, named "Luce" (Italian for "light").

In a writeup over at PRNDL, automotive journalist and MacRumors alum Jordan Golson describes how the Luce is designed around the premise that a car's interface should be operable largely by feel, with minimal visual distraction. Ive argues that touchscreens made sense for the iPhone because it solved a general-purpose problem, but it's not for driving: "To use touch in a car is something I would never dream of doing, because it requires that you look at what you're doing."

Following from that premise, the steering wheel and binnacle form a clear driving zone, where physical inputs are separated from visual outputs. Core functions such as climate, seat heating, and drive modes use dedicated mechanical switches and dials.

Physical controls trigger contextual responses on the displays, and the instrument binnacle combines layered OLED screens with physical depth and a real mechanical needle moving between them. The steering wheel itself is an exposed aluminum structure, where the glass-and-metal buttons are differentiated by touch, and the paddle shifters control EV functions like regenerative braking and torque delivery.

One of the standout features of the Luce is its glass key with an E Ink display. In your pocket it appears Ferrari yellow, and because E Ink is bistable, it consumes no power when static. When the driver enters the car, a magnet in the center console guides the key into a dedicated dock. Press it down, and the yellow fades to black as the key integrates with the glass surface of the console. Ive calls this "theater," re-imagining the ritual of starting up an electric car.

Head over to Golson's website for his full coverage, and watch his exclusive video above.

Ferrari has been unveiling its first fully electric car in three stages. The first reveal, held in Maranello last October, focused on the underlying technology, including the battery, motors, and platform. This second phase centers on the interior and interface. The exterior will be revealed in Italy in May.

Article Link: Here's Jony Ive's Ferrari Luce EV Interior and Interface Design

 

[iMac The Knife]

Here's Ive, as I see him and his design methodology.

 

[OS X Dude]

Looks gorgeous, and naturally very 'Apple' since it's Jony - the font on the instruments even looks like Apple's SF family.

 

[ShadowJamie]

It looks amazing

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Johnny Ive hasn’t done anything meaningful in the last decade. is this his big claim to fame now for the next decade?

 

[johnrlaporta]

Yes to this. Touch interface in a vehicle is maddening. We need knobs, switches, and buttons. Ive is on the right track.

 

[OliOliOliOli]

Is this the same guy who designed my iPhone so I can’t use it flat on a table?
Did he also design the F1 car… because last season wasn’t exactly great…
this guy is massively overrated!

 

[macbookj0e]

Agree with Ive on this one. Tactile buttons are much better than 100 touchscreens in my opinion.

Scrolling through 5 steps just to turn the heater down isn’t ideal. Turning a knob that never moves and you can feel without looking is safer and easier. Not to mention doesn’t get hidden by the suns glare.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

The comments will be full of nonsense but Apple industrial design has never been the same since Ives departure.

Everything they make now is square and utilitarian. Apple definitely wouldn't be the company they are now without Ive.

 

[JosephAW]

Can’t wait to see it in my Kia. By the way it’s alu-minium. 😛

 

[robd003]

Please don't cost $700,000...

 

[wikiverse]

Those knobs and switches on the steering wheel are awful. They're not built into the steering wheel and look like cheap after-market accessories. They're also not the functions that you need on a steering wheel, nor are they the types of easy-controls that you want on a steering wheel. On the steering column, yes, but not on the wheel - especially those types of controls on a Ferrari.

Maybe the people who design consumer electronics shouldn't be designing cars. He's right that touchscreens in cars are wrong, but this design is also not right.

 

[jlgolson]

If you guys have questions about the piece or the interior, fire 'em over and I'll do my best to answer!

My years of covering Apple came in handy on this one...

— the author (and MacRumors alum ;-)

 

[MayaUser]

I want both touch that are buttons as well...touch for when i want dead silent operations in my car, and buttons for the rest
Audi way is the best way of old+new tech combined. Mercedes has to catch up

 

[chfilm]

It looks stunning- and so full of playful little details- exactly what’s missing at apple these days.

 

[aunt_edna]

::Obligatory joke about having to flip the car on it's back to charge it::

 

[acesX3]

Different functions for different circumstances and he is exactly correct, cars should be minimal or NO touchscreens, it is distracting while driving to be looking at the screen, as much as possible should be done with physical controls in the car.

Example: my car has a single button on the steering wheel, press it you get heated steering wheel, press again heat off. My wife's car, four years newer and same manufacturer has lost the steering wheel button, you have to press the touchscreen at least 3-4 times to get steering wheel heat. Seats were the same, press a button 1, 2 or 3 times for level of seat heat in my car, press the touchscreen a bunch of times to get and adjust seat heat in her car. Buttons are just better for so many things.

Yes, you can talk to the car, but I don't want to have a conversation with my car for the entire drive adjusting stuff.

 

[klasma]

What’s strange is he’s using an easy to turn knob on the right but a hard to turn knob on the left:

Some other parts are nice, though, I like the control panel handle.

 

[burgman]

Agree with Ive on this one. Tactile buttons are much better than 100 touchscreens in my opinion.

Scrolling through 5 steps just to turn the heater down isn’t idea. Turning a knob that never moves and you can feel without looking is safer and easier. Not to mention doesn’t get hidden by the suns glare.

That's not a touchscreen issue, a stupid designer one. Some cars have 10 or more switches and paddles on the steering wheel, another 10 or more on center console, and head unit. Then more on both sides of dash at knee level, then more on the door. Some without illumination. Tell me one doesn't have take their eyes off the road for some of them. I like both with good design choices. All switches suck. One or more touch screens looks cool with few switches really sucks. Sometimes when the sun is at the right angle large touchscreen blinds you from reflections, bean counters doing design. Subaru has many complaints about that for one.

 

[Konstruktor]

If you guys have questions about the piece or the interior, fire 'em over and I'll do my best to answer!

My years of covering Apple came in handy on this one...

— the author (and MacRumors alum ;-)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this video. I’m impressed with this new concept and sure that could positively influence cockpit design for the upcoming generation. Already, some car companies are fortunately backtracking this all-display idea, replacing it with more physical buttons, interacting with the display (Renault 5 f.e.), but not to the extend Ferrari and LoveFrom are showcasing here.

Looking at the speedometer, isn’t it actually 3 layers of screens? The big one outside, the speedometer background and a tiny screen wedged between the dial and the glass?

 

[everlast3434]

Man, and I JUST bought my ferrari. I should've waited!

 

[jlgolson]

What’s strange is he’s using an easy to turn knob on the right but a hard to turn knob on the left:

View attachment 2603162

Some other parts are nice, though, I like the control panel handle.

The one on the right you're likely to change while you're driving. The left one is more set and forget based on the type of driving you're doing that day. I think that's the theory.

Man, and I JUST bought my ferrari. I should've waited!

If you'd really just bought your Ferrari, you'd have no problem buying another one!

Looking at the speedometer, isn’t it actually 3 layers of screens? The big one outside, the speedometer background and a tiny screen wedged between the dial and the glass?

That's actually a physical needle.

 

[macbookj0e]

That's not a touchscreen issue, a stupid designer one. Some cars have 10 or more switches and paddles on the steering wheel, another 10 or more on center console, and head unit. Then more on both sides of dash at knee level, then more on the door. Some without illumination. Tell me one doesn't have take their eyes off the road for some of them also. I like both with a good design choices. All switches sucks. One or more touch screens looks cool but really sucks.

Yeah you’re right it’s a design issue and there’s room for both.

I’m just not a fan of replacing everything behind a screen for the sake of it. Some cars have screens the entire width of the dashboard, it’s crazy. There’s a place for both but manufacturers have taken touchscreens to the extreme.

 

[Calle68]

How I miss Jony ....

 

[Konstruktor]

That's actually a physical needle.

Ah I see it now, the needle is mounted to the rim, not the center of the display. Thanks!