Ferrari EV Possibly Spied for the First Time with Fake Exhaust
Ferrari EV test mule spy photo
The future starts here.
Ferrari announced in late 2019 that it would not introduce its first electric car until after the middle of this decade. However, the market launch was moved forward in April 2021 when company chairman John Elkann said the car would come out by 2025. It's still on track for an official debut late next year. In the meantime, it might've been spied undergoing testing for the first time.
This strangely disguised test mule looks like an oversized hatchback. Spotted in Maranello, the unusual vehicle appears to be wearing a modified body sourced from the Maserati Levante. However, it seems to have the headlights of a Ferrari Roma. We also can't help but notice the newly designed wheels, possibly missing the aero covers.
And yes, those quad exhaust tips hanging from the corners of the rear bumper are comically fake. The yellow high-voltage stickers indicate we are dealing with an electric vehicle. It's not the first time an automaker decides to slap a faux exhaust on an EV prototype as Porsche has been doing that for a while with the electric Boxster.
Just because Ferrari decided to use a Levante body doesn't necessarily mean the V-12-powered Purosangue is getting an electric companion. The company with the Prancing Horse has not revealed which shape its EV will take. We do know the mysterious car will be built at a new factory inaugurated this week at the existing base in Maranello. Seeing this test mule running around mere days after is probably not a coincidence.
Ferrari has promised its first EV will deliver an "authentic" noise, whatever that means. The car is rumored to cost over $500,000 per Reuters, although CEO Benedetto Vigna refused this week to confirm the report. He also refuted speculation claiming the new factory would push annual production from approximately 14,000 to 20,000 vehicles.
Although Ferrari is at the dawn of the electric era, it still plans to sell V-12 cars for as long as possible. Head of Product Marketing Emanuele Carando recently said the twelve-cylinder powerhouse will remain in production until it is outlawed. However, the Italian exotic marque projects pure ICE cars will account for only 20 percent of annual sales by 2030. About 40 percent will be represented by plug-in hybrids, with the remaining 40 percent by pure EVs.
Meanwhile, the first EV is estimated to account for five percent of total shipments in 2026. Reuters alleges that a second electric car is in the works already, albeit in an early development stage.
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Source: Derek Photography / Instagram