Apple’s abandoned car project meets Ferrari’s electric Luce

Apple’s long‑running effort to build a car, known internally as Project Titan, was cancelled after a decade of development and an estimated cost of about $1 billion per year [1]. The vacuum left by Apple’s retreat is being filled by Ferrari’s first electric supercar, the Luce, whose interior and exterior were designed by former Apple designers at LoveFrom [2].

Key takeaways

• Apple’s automotive venture, started in 2014, was scrapped in 2024 after failing to translate its consumer‑electronics model to a car [1].
• Ferrari’s Luce, an electric vehicle with over 1,000 hp and a $640,000 price tag, was designed by Jony Ive’s LoveFrom studio [1].
• The Luce’s unconventional four‑door hatchback shape and “bubble‑like” exterior have sparked mixed reactions from traditional Ferrari fans [1].
• Critics see the Luce as a sign that the era of the supercar as a status symbol is waning, with many luxury brands scaling back electric projects [1].
• Apple’s remaining automotive influence is limited to CarPlay, which now extends to climate control and speedometer functions [1].

Ferrari’s Luce: An Apple‑Styled Electric Supercar

Ferrari unveiled the Luce in May 2026, marking the Italian marque’s first fully electric model. The car’s design was entrusted to LoveFrom, the consultancy founded by former Apple chief design officer Sir Jony Ive and his longtime collaborator Marc Newson [1]. Ive, who left Apple in 2022 after nearly three decades, helped shape the vehicle’s interior and exterior, bringing Apple’s minimalist, “vanish‑into‑the‑background” aesthetic to a traditionally flamboyant brand [1]. The result is a four‑door hatchback that seats five, a configuration rare for Ferrari, and a sleek, rounded silhouette described as more “aerodynamic suppository” than the classic low, taut lines of past models [1].

Performance figures are impressive: the Luce delivers more than 1,000 horsepower and can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in roughly two seconds, aided by a drag coefficient claimed to be lower than any previous road‑going Ferrari [1]. Yet its $640,000 price places it firmly in the realm of a status symbol rather than a practical vehicle, echoing the role Ferraris have historically played for wealthy owners [1].

The End of Apple’s Car Dream

Apple’s automotive ambitions began in 2014 with the goal of creating a vehicle that could “do for the automobile what the iPhone did for phones” [1]. The company recruited engineers from traditional automakers, Tesla, battery firms, and autonomous‑driving startups, assembling a team of thousands under the codename Titan [1]. Despite the massive investment, Apple found the complexities of car manufacturing—mechanical, regulatory, and supply‑chain—far greater than those of consumer electronics [1]. After attempting to pivot the project toward an autonomous‑driving platform, Apple ultimately cancelled Titan in 2024, leaving CarPlay as its sole automotive offering, now expanded to control climate and speedometer functions [1].