It's been a little over three years since Ferrari did the unthinkable by announcing plans to launch an electric car. The first Prancing Horse with zero emissions is still on track for a late 2025 launch and it will make some noise, both literally and figuratively. Despite completely doing away with the ol' internal combustion engine, the EV from Maranello won't be completely silent.
While some electric cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N make fake combustion engine noises and even have simulated gear changes, Ferrari is hinting at something different. Speaking with Australia's Drive magazine, Product Marketing and Marketing Intelligence Director Emanuele Carando mentioned "[the sound is] always authentic in a Ferrari." He added it'll be a "true Ferrari," although it's unclear what sort of sound it's going to produce.
The only way it's going to be an "authentic” sound is if Ferrari is referring to the whine of the electric motor. The engineers could amplify it through the speakers, but that wouldn't be completely authentic anymore, would it? Whatever the soundtrack it will deliver, Maranello's first foray into the EV segment is set to "deliver different emotions" compared to the current crop of models.
An electric car is a huge deal, so it's understandable why Ferrari remains tight-lipped for now. It hasn't even announced what shape it will take but we do know it's going to be built at a new production site that's being finalized these days at home in Maranello. The unnamed model is projected to account for five percent of the company’s sales in 2026–the EV's first full year on sale.
The arrival of an EV won't seal the V-12's fate since Ferrari intends to keep the twelve-cylinder engine around until it is outlawed. Carando assures enthusiasts that deep-pocketed owners will be the ones who will decide whether they want a pure gas engine, a plug-in hybrid, or an EV.
Ferrari will beat archrival Lamborghini to the electric punch considering the latter won't launch the Lanzador, a 2+2 grand tourer, until 2028. By the end of the decade, Ferrari reckons 40 percent of its annual sales will be represented by cars without a combustion engine.
