Even Pope Leo XIV Hates The New EV Ferrari

Interesting electric car, ferrari, pope, pope leo xiv admin May 27, 2026 0 Comments

Even Pope Leo XIV Hates The New EV Ferrari

Ferrari debuted its first all-electric model Monday: the $640,000 Ferrari Luce.

The model was met with vitriol from internet users. The market looked unfavorably upon Luce as well — Milan-listed shares fell on Tuesday by about 8% and U.S.-listed shares fell 5.3%, according to CNBC. (RELATED: Jaguar’s Sales Tank After Bizarre Non-Binary Rebrand)

Pope Leo XIV seemed unimpressed, too.

Ferrari Chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna, along with other executives and engineers, visited Pope Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, on Tuesday, presenting the pontiff with a Luce.

“Totally aerodynamic,” Elkann told the pope.

“Oh, it’s aerodynamic,” the pope repeated.

Pope Leo then got behind the wheel, examining various features of the vehicle interior.

“The real interface with every Ferrari, and Luce as well, is on the red switch over there,” Ferrari test driver Raffaele de Simone explained to the pope.

De Simone continued: “We call it Manettino because it comes from Formula One experience, where the pilot can change the settings of the car. And it’s exactly transferred. We moved that also to the normal road cars.” Manettino, meaning “little lever” in Italian, is a dial inspired by F1 steering wheels and featured in some Ferrari vehicles.

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Pope Leo’s expression remained inscrutable. Elkann donated the Luce’s steering wheel to Pope Leo.

Luce strikes a dissonant chord for the luxury car brand. The electric vehicle does not evoke speed, danger, or exclusivity. It evokes carpooling. But credit where credit is due: Luce is genuinely innovative. It dares to combine the look of a Chinese electric vehicle with the price tag of a Ferrari.