We have been wondering for years what would have become of the Apple Car. More than a decade of rumors, secret prototypesimportant signings, endless patents… and in the end nothing. Apple canceled Project Titan and we are all left with the doubt of what could have been. But now we have the answer. And he’s in a Ferrari.
Ferrari has shown the interior of the “LUCE”, its first 100% electric supercar, designed by Jony Ive from LoveFrom. It is probably the closest we will be to see what Apple’s former design chief had in mind for an electric vehicle. And after analyzing it in detail, it hurts even more that Apple never made its car.
Apple DNA in every millimeter
Table of Contents
- Apple DNA in every millimeter
- Physical controls everywhere
- The screen that does not want to be the protagonist
- The instrument panel is pure CarPlay Ultra
- An interior design that we already know, and an exterior that remains a mystery
- The Apple and Ferrari connection goes back a long way
- Apple had the opportunity to do this
The Ferrari LUCE has Jony Ive’s signature all over it. Let’s start with the key: it has an electronic ink screen with a yellow panel that, when inserted into the car’s magnetic receiver, turns off. That yellow visually “transfers” to the glass shifter, illuminating through the glass. As Ive explained to the media who were able to see the car, it symbolizes a transfer of life.
The interior has 40 pieces of Corning Gorilla Glass. From the gear lever to the slightly convex lenses of the instrument panel. That same obsession with aluminum and glass that we saw in the iPhone 4, the iPad and every product that came out of Cupertino under his direction.
Until The rails that hold the seats to the floor are molded and anodized to match with the rest of the interior. Anodized aluminum available in three colors: grey, dark gray and rose gold. Details that no one sees, but that are there. Perfect.
Physical controls everywhere
Although the trend in cars is to increasingly incorporate more controls and touch screens, the Ferrari LUCE goes against the current. It is full of physical controls. Both Jony Ive and Marc Newson, his partner in LoveFrom and collaborator in the design of the Apple Watch, are fans of classic cars and own several vintage Ferrari models.
We share a really deep interest in automotive things and vehicles. I’d say it’s probably a hobby. Modern cars are losing things we love about our old Ferraris. It became very clear to us that we needed to find as many ways as possible to physically connect to the interface.
The result is a car with vents that open and close with a satisfying “click,” similar to the sound of AirPods closing. Large, solid switches piercing the center screen. Metal paddles behind the steering wheel that “jump.” The crystal shift lever moves through its positions.
The steering wheel itself mixes vintage with future. Its design is reminiscent of the classic Ferraris of the 50s and 60s, but it is full of physical controls that allow you to have everything at hand: from the indicators to the windshield wipers, energy management and driving modes.
One of the most impressive details is the windshield wiper control: A small dial at the top right of the steering wheel with a tiny lens that magnifies the current setting. That lens is actually magnifying one of four custom 200 ppi OLED panels that Samsung made specifically for LoveFrom, cut and molded to size.
The top panel, above the driver’s head, it also has physical controls for Launch Mode, exterior lights and defroster.
The screen that does not want to be the protagonist
Yes there is a screen 10.2-inch OLED in the center of the dashboard. But Jonathan Ive doesn’t want him to be the star of the car. The screen can be moved with a large handle underneath to direct it towards the driver or co-pilot. Around that screen are physical buttons running across it: switches plus a glass volume knob.
The small clock in the upper right corner of the screen can become a stopwatch or compass, with its needles moving fluidly depending on the mode. It can also display data such as G-force, tire pressure, battery temperature and other parameters relevant to the trip.
The panel has elements very similar to the digital crown of the Apple Watch
The instrument panel is pure CarPlay Ultra
The instrument panel behind the steering wheel is most surprising. They are two OLED screens stacked on top of each other, with a physical needle between them that acts as a pseudo tachometer in this car without an engine.
Available power output and regenerative braking are shown on the left. In the center is the speedometer and battery charge indicator, combining The mechanical needle with a digital interface. On the right is that clock that can display multiple data as you need. The screens change and transform depending on the driving mode.
It is practically what Apple showed with the new generation of CarPlay Ultra. Only the Ferrari LUCE makes it happen without the Apple logo.
An interior design that we already know, and an exterior that remains a mystery
Ferrari has not yet revealed the complete exterior design of the Ferrari LUCE. The Full presentation is planned for May 2026but we already know the specifications that the company has confirmed on its engineering website dedicated to the project:
- More than 1,000 horsepower in boost mode
- Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds
- Maximum speed of 310 km/h
- Autonomy greater than 530 kilometers, WLTP cycle
- Four doors and four seats
- First 100% electric vehicle in Ferrari history
No price or availability has been announced. beyond “2026”. But this being a Ferrari designed by Jony Ive, let’s not expect it to be cheap at all. Starting from the fact that one of the most “economical” models is the Ferrari Roma and it has a price that is around 220,000 euros.
The Apple and Ferrari connection goes back a long way
The relationship between Apple and Ferrari did not start yesterday. And although right now the only link is Jonathan Ive… Back in 2013, Ferrari was the first car manufacturer to adopt CarPlay. At the Geneva Motor Show that year, they presented the LaFerrari, the million-euro hybrid, with full integration of Apple technologies, including direct access to the infotainment system through Siri and two iPad minis as a rear-seat entertainment system.
Luca di Montezemolo, former president of Ferrari, met with Tim Cook and was impressed. “Ferrari and Apple are connected by the same passion, the same love for their products, obsessive attention to technology and design,” he declared then.
The seats are reminiscent of the iPad 2 Smart Cover
Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Software and Services, joined Ferrari’s board of directors in November 2012. The relationship between the two companies has been close for more than a decade.
When Jony Ive left Apple in 2019 to found LoveFrom, his design studio, Ferrari contacted them almost immediately. By September 2021 they already had a formal agreement announced publicly. Ive even joined the Board of Partners of Exor, Ferrari’s parent company.to explore creative projects in the world of luxury.
Since then, they have been working on the Ferrari LUCE in total secrecy. Five years of confidential development so far. In the presentation of the interior to specialized media, Jony Ive admitted to being “enormously excited” and “completely terrified” to show the work after five years of keeping it a secret.
It is very difficult, I have never worked in such a regulated area. Some regulations are great because you understand why, and people’s safety is important, but some drive you crazy.
Apple had the opportunity to do this
He had the designer, he had the resources, he had more than a decade to try with Project Titan. In the end he decided that it was not worth continuing to invest in the project and canceled his Apple Car.
Meanwhile, Jony Ive has created with Ferrari a vehicle that perfectly captures what could have been an apple car. The obsession with details, the mix of premium materials, the integration of screens with physical controls, that feeling that every millimeter has been considered.
But there is a difference. Ferrari is an ultra premium brand whose cars are only available to a few. Apple, although considered a premium brand, offers products ranging from an iPhone 16e to a Mac Pro. There are different ranges, different prices, different entry points to the ecosystem.
The Apple Car would probably have been closer to a Tesla in price than a Ferrari. Something expensive, yes, but not unattainable. A product that many more people could consider buying. Perhaps that’s why the project was so complicated: creating something with the level of detail and quality that Jony Ive demanded, but at a price that made sense for Apple’s mass market.
Or maybe it was just too far out of the ecosystem. of company products. A car is not an iPhone, it is not a Mac, it is not even an Apple Watch. It is a huge investment, with endless regulations, in an industry that Apple did not dominate.
This car proves that Jony Ive’s vision was viable and spectacular. But it also shows that it needed the right partner: a brand used to making exclusive products for a few, not devices for millions.
Now we know what the Apple Car could have been. And every time we see a Ferrari LUCE on the road, the lucky few who can afford it, we will see the ghost of the car that Apple never dared to sell. At least we have this. Even if it’s just to look at it from afar.
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date: 2026-02-11 01:04:00