Jony Ive designs the interior of the Ferrari Luce

Samuel Buchmann

10.2.2026

Translation: machine translated

The former Apple designer relies on real buttons instead of touchscreen landscapes to operate Ferrari's first electric car.

Ferrari has unveiled the interior of its first all-electric sports car called Luce - leaving the interface to former Apple design boss Jony Ive and his studio LoveFrom. Ive was responsible for the iPhone, the iMac, the iPad and the Apple Watch, among other things. The development of Apple's own car was discontinued in 2024.

Ive's design language is reflected in the choice of materials in the Ferrari Luce. Aluminium and glass dominate. Ferrari has dispensed with the huge touchscreen landscapes that are fashionable with other manufacturers. Instead, the design has a deliberately analogue feel. Many functions are controlled via mechanical buttons, rotary knobs and rocker switches. The aim is to make operation as intuitive as possible without distracting from driving.

The move away from touch controls seems ironic given the fact that Ive been instrumental in their popularity. But it is simply the wrong technology for cars. «It's a bizarre and lazy assumption that the interface should be digital just because the drive is electric», says Ive. It never occurred to him to use touchscreens for important functions in a car. The designer is likely to hit a nerve with these statements: The lack of physical buttons in modern cars is often criticised both in tests and in consumer surveys.

Analogue look, modern technology

The centrepiece of the Luce's controls is the steering wheel, the shape of which is reminiscent of classic Ferrari steering wheels from the 1950s and 1960s. The spokes are made of anodised aluminium and are milled from a single block. The MacBook unibody sends its regards. On the left and right are controls for drive modes, assistance systems, windscreen wipers and driving modes. There are no levers behind the steering wheel, and the indicator is also activated at the touch of a button.

The instrument cluster consists of two stacked OLED panels from Samsung. They create a three-dimensional effect and are reminiscent of classic round instruments - an attempt to combine analogue legibility with modern display technology. The cluster is firmly attached to the steering column and moves with it when the height of the steering wheel is adjusted.

The Ferrari Luce does not manage entirely without a touchscreen: A tablet mounted on a ball joint sits in the centre console and can be turned towards the driver or front passenger. The handle also serves as a hand rest so that the buttons can be pressed while driving. Below the display are analogue switches for the air conditioning. At the top right, Ive integrated a «Multigraph» display with three mechanical hands in front of a digital display. It can be used either as a clock, stopwatch, compass or launch control display.

On the material side, a combination of anodised aluminium and tempered glass dominates. Corning Gorilla Glass is not only used on the displays, but also on the gear lever and numerous design elements. The key is a solid block of glass and aluminium with an e-ink display that changes colour when inserted into the centre console. Only then does the Luce come to life - Ive deliberately wanted to retain the ceremony, which is reminiscent of classic ignition keys.

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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