Ferrari Electric Cars Will Still Make Noise, Says Company Boss

The Prancing Horse’s CEO says that each of the brand’s EVs will be unique and emotional experiences

21 Mar 2024

Ferrari is preparing to take a leap into the unknown with the launch of its first-ever electric car during the next couple of years. One of the biggest questions that’s been raised is that of noise – few manufacturers are able to trade on the soulful sound of their engines to the extent that Ferrari is.

Now, the company’s CEO Benedetto Vigna has made efforts to assuage worries that Ferrari’s EVs will be devoid of the firm’s trademark roar. Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe, he said that all electric Ferraris will make a noise of some sort and that each will be unique.

The use of synthesised sound in electric cars to try and recapture some of the inherent emotion of internal combustion is nothing new. Abarth does it in the 500e to… mixed results, while the upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona will use something similar in an effort to compensate for the loss of the old car’s V8 rumble. Whether Ferrari will try to exactly replicate the noise of one of its iconic V12s or howling V8s, or if it’ll try something new, isn’t entirely clear yet.

Elsewhere, Vigna doubled down on Ferrari’s plans to have at least 60 per cent of its sales come from electrified cars – i.e. hybrids and full EVs – by 2026. Currently, the SF90 and 296 make up its electrified offerings, with the as-yet-unnamed EV and long-rumoured LaFerrari successor set to increase that share soon.

He also stated that he believes EVs will never have a 100 per cent market share, especially in the luxury and performance sectors, and that electric, hybrid and pure combustion will continue to co-exist for a long time. Despite its electrification push, Ferrari – like its neighbour and long-time rival Lamborghini – is vocal about wanting to keep its naturally aspirated V12s around for as long as regulations will allow, with synthetic fuels expected to play a role.

It seems, then, that Ferrari is keen to keep offering something for everyone. Well, everyone with lots and lots of cash to splash on an Italian supercar, anyway.

The first full sentence spoken by an infant Mike was a review of the ride quality of a Volvo 850. It was “Daddy’s car goes bumpy-bump on a bumpy road,” so would probably need proofreading a bit, but it was a start.