Ferrari

The Ferrari Luce has sold all its units in China. And that is the best sign for Chinese manufacturers

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Ferrari Luce in China. With the Luce, of course. The Maranello electric car has posted the “all sold” message on the door of its dealerships. 88 units at almost $600,000. A very high figure for a Chinese market that has also lowered the prices of luxury vehicles. Despite everything, Ferrari is Ferrari. whatever they want. They can sell whatever they want. It is the conclusion defended by multiple analysts and pickup in Xataka during the presentation of Ferrari Lucethe company’s first electric car that created enormous controversy for its design that even surpassed that of having launched an electric car without a trace of gasoline smell. Just a few days later we learned that Ferrari had sold each and every one of the units that I had planned in a first print run. Many or few? It really is not entirely clear because Ferrari’s production capacity is limited and only with the passage of years will we be able to know if the car has been a success or not. What is certain is that Ferrari, by the simple fact of being Ferrari, shows that it can sell whatever it wants. 88 units for China. With a waiting list that already extends until 2027, the Ferrari Luce has had the reception that could be expected. Even though the company has assured that does not force its more traditional clients to buy the car as a preliminary step to get the most special units. Of that waiting list that has already been completed, 88 of those units will go directly to the Chinese market. These Ferrari Luce, ensure in Car News Chinahave been sold with a starting price of $586,600 (almost four million Chinese yuan at the exchange rate). The figure is, they explain, 7% lower than the price sold in Europe. Very important. That sales are advancing at a good pace is huge news for the brand since China has been very quickly turning to its local manufacturers and turning its back on foreign ones. In fact, Ferrari only sold 584 units in 2025 in the Asian country. The fall was serious because in 2024 it signed 814 units and in 2023 it placed 1,221 supercars. That is to say, placing 88 units at once in China has already allowed it to sell 15% of the same amount that it signed last year. Without a doubt, a cushion that allows you to cushion the fall in a market that is clearly moving towards electrical products and, above all, to local ones. Big money. When analyzing car sales in China, in CarNewsChina They talk about “extra luxury” to refer to cars that cost more than a million yuan (just over 120,000 euros at direct exchange rate). It is a market where, curiously, only European cars dominate. The twentieth place last year was the Mercedes-AMG GLS with 83 units. In one fell swoop, Ferrari would have already surpassed it. But this list is not dominated by European cars because they do things better, it is because Chinese manufacturers have entered into a price war that has managed to place the price ceiling of their luxury cars below that million yuan. That is why it is surprising that Ferrari is capable of placing 88 units of a car that multiplies that cost by four. It must be taken into account that only BYD with the Yangwang U8 and its long variant U8L managed to sneak into this list. The rest of the supercars do not appear because, among other things, they cost less money than that million yuan border. Much more for less money. To show what we are talking about, the Huawei Maextro S800a luxury sedan that is half-manufactured by Huawei and the automobile conglomerate JAC, started last year at just over 700,000 Chinese yuan (about $100,000 at the exchange rate) and its top range barely exceeded that million yuan. Only in the last month of December 2025, This car outsold the BMW 7 Series, the Porsche Panamera and the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. which were consolidated as the next three best-selling cars. While the Chinese car sold 4,376 units, the European options totaled 4,140 units. Chinese manufacturers are offering cars that are more technologically advanced inside than any other European company. The Huawei Maextro S800 has triple screen inside between 15 and 16 inchesendings in wood inside with space to store champagne bottles, individual seats in bucket format in the rear seats, the most advanced ADAS systems and, of course, full integration with the Huawei ecosystem. The path to choose. They assure Ferrari that the Luce is a car that is not aimed at its most classic clients. “It is designed for a different customer profile, not for historical customers to buy, who, obviously, can do so if they wish,” assured Enrico Galliera who has just left his position as the company’s head of marketing. As we said in Xataka It is clear that Ferrari is looking to carve out a niche for itself among a new type of customer. Although it aims at a global market, this was essential in China where the preferred car among the rich also seems to be electric and Chinese but, above all, it aims to be something different from what we traditionally know as a car. That Ferrari has sold all the units there allows it to position itself as a modern company, capable of doing different things. For example, this opinion from a Chinese buyer of a Porsche Taycan in statements to Bloomberg: “It was just an electrified Porsche. That’s all.” In the article, he described the purchase as “terrible” because, simply, it did not provide any differential value. For now, the numbers seem to say that Ferrari is moving on the right path in China. Photo | Ferrari and Sou Jest In Xataka | “It shouldn’t be in a car”: Legendary Apple designer thinks we have a problem with touch screens

Ferrari wants your car to charge itself in the sun while parked. One of his patents explains how

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A few weeks ago, Ferrari dropped a time bomb with its first electric car, Luce. the car has given to talk at lengthand has generated all kinds of opinions. It is also a vehicle that gives us clues about the direction the brand wants to take in this stage of transition that we are going through. But it is not the only one, because if we delve into the intricate world of patents, Ferrari has registered accounts that would raise some eyebrows. One of his last patents registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is share the CarBuzz medium, which describes a system of photovoltaic panels that deploy from the roof of the vehicle when it is parked. It is not a typical solar roof and has peculiarities that are worth commenting on. What’s in the patent. The document describe a rollable photovoltaic panel housed in a cavity inside the roof of the car. When the vehicle is stopped and turned off, the panel can be removed through a slot to cover it. According to the technical drawings of the patent, there are two possible positions: one of the panels deploys forward, over the windshield, generating shadow in the cabin; another does it from the rear, under the rear window, oriented at an angle to better capture sunlight. The mechanism uses a U-shaped element and two support rods to extend the panel from its roller. Why do you do it this way and not any other way? The solution may seem complicated (and it is) compared to simply integrating solar cells into the roof, as some manufacturers already do. But Ferrari seems to have its reasons. First, a roll-up panel that is only activated when parking allows the use of a larger photovoltaic surface than would fit on the fixed roof. Furthermore, the patent explicitly mentions the dual purpose of the system, which is to charge the battery and reduce the interior temperature of the cabin when the car is in the sun. Along with this, in the patent is pointed out The system includes sensors and weather data to automate when it is deployed or picked up. Limitations. A solar panel that only works when the car is stationary and in the sun has a very limited range in real life. In the end, the efficiency of these systems depends greatly on weather conditions, the orientation of the vehicle and the exposure time. It is not a fixed place with a large space that allows these losses of efficiency to be counteracted, as is the case in a photovoltaic installation that we can integrate into a house. CarBuzz mention the case of Hyundai, which has been studying this technology for years and that it integrates into some of its test vehicles. The firm stated that its solar roof can replenish between 30% and 60% of the battery per day in ideal conditions, which for a car with more than 300 kilometers of autonomy could cover the average trip to work. But those “ideal conditions” are the exception, not the norm. What it says about Ferrari. As we have mentioned before, the patent appears at a very specific time, as Ferrari has just launched the Luce, its first fully electric car, conceived as a vehicle for everyday use and not just as a sports car for occasional use. It makes sense for the brand to start exploring ways to manage autonomy and charging in different ways than conventional ones. On the other hand, just as points out CarBuzz, adding weight and complexity to the roof goes against Ferrari’s historic philosophy, focused on pure handling and clean design. These are ideas that the brand will have to play with to clarify its priorities in the coming years. However, it should be noted that, at the moment, it is only a patent, not a product announcement. Ferrari, like many other companies, registers technical ideas without necessarily implying that they will reach a production car. Cover image | Matt Antonioli and Ferrari In Xataka | “Solid-state batteries are not the Holy Grail”: the head of CATL explains why it will take us a while to see them in cars

Jony Ive, iPhone designer, explains why the Ferrari Luce rejects touch screens

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You either love him or hate him, but he Ferrari Luce It has not left almost anyone indifferent. The firm’s first 100% electric car is a statement of intent. A commitment to the future that, to do so, gets rid of a good part of its past. And in that setting there is a unique element: the prominence of physical controls and the reduction in the relevance of screens in cars. Why bad design can be lethal. Leo Abrams was publishing these days a video interview in which he asked Jony Ive because of something he had said in the past: “people are dying because of bad design.” What did that mean? In the case of the car, the answer for him was clear: “Multitouch technology is wonderful for a mobile phone, because when you’re using a phone, you’re looking at that phone. But multitouch technology shouldn’t be in a car, I think, because if you have to do basic things, it requires by definition that you don’t look at where you’re going in the car, and that you look at the screen.” Stop looking at the screen so much. For Ive the danger is obvious: if you don’t look at the road, you have a good chance of having an accident. It is a discourse already known in the automotive segment, and since touch screens they became fashionable the debate has always been there. Replacing traditional physical controls with controls that were more typical of a mobile phone or tablet seemed like a recipe for disaster. The Euro NCAP certification body took this into account for your tests: five stars can only be achieved if some functions (turn signals, hazard lights, horn, windshield wipers) ensure the use of physical controls. muscle memory. The problem is not the screen itself, which is tremendously useful for things like GPS navigation, but rather that “touch blindness” that these touch screens impose. Physical buttons allow you to use muscle memory: you can operate them without looking. Touch screens force you to look where you press, which we insist, introduces serious risks while driving. Multitouch technology is not for everyone or everything. Ive also reflected on how any tool has the potential to be used for good and evil “in unpredictable and unexpected ways”, and that is one of the reasons why for him the role of touch technology in the Ferrari Luce had to be almost anecdotal. “I was very fortunate to be involved in the development of multitouch technology. It’s a fantastic technology that makes some new user interfaces possible, but it has to be used appropriately, thoughtfully and carefully.” Result: fewer screens, more touch. The interior of the Ferrari Luce It was the first thing we were able to know about this carand it was already clear at that moment that this was going to be a Ferrari very different from the rest of the Ferraris but that retained that love of touch: the Luce uses physical controls, rotary dials, switches and buttons everywhere. The screens are also present, yes, but touch is clearly a priority over sight, at least when it comes to controlling the vehicle’s options. This is about being better. At the beginning of the interview, Ive made a point: “just because the power source is electrical, one seems to assume that the interface should be digital and that is a big leap and I think that thinking that is presumptuous.” It seems evident that from the beginning Ive and the Ferrari designers and engineers were clear that this car was going to be differentand Ive himself confirms it: “We are trying to solve problems in new ways. Not to be different or new, but to be better.” In Xataka | The new Ferrari Luce is much more than Ferrari’s first electric car. It is a desperate cry to find a new audience

Porsche has stopped production of the Taycan because the rich don’t want it. And that says it all about the new Ferrari Luce

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The sports and luxury electric car market has been in a week like no one remembered for a long time. Mercedes and Ferrari have presented two supercars that anticipate their next steps regarding their zero emissions and that confirm their commitment to this technology. Porsche, however, is taking the opposite path: it has temporarily suspended production of its Taycans. What has happened? Porsche has temporarily stopped production of its most advanced electric car, the Taycan. At the moment, we know that at the end of last week the production chain stopped and more closures are anticipated in the short term, explain our colleagues from Motorpassion. And the reason is as simple as that they do not sell. They point out in Automotive and Sportwhich in the first quarter of the year barely 3,420 units have been delivered (19% less than in the same period of the previous year). If these figures hold, at the end of the year Porsche would have sold about 14,000 electric supercars, the lowest figure since its launch. We better stop. They say that a withdrawal in time is a victory. In the case of the automobile industry, it is totally true. When overproduced, the product accumulates in warehouses, takes up space and depreciates. In the end, it is best to give it a way out with suggestive discounts that can eat into the profit margin. This is a problem that Stellantis has experienced firsthand, which even came to “give away” the electric Fiat 500 in the United States to get them off your back. Honda has preferred cancel its upcoming electric launches and assume more than 2,000 million dollars in losses due to the expected low demand. This is a problem for any company but it is much more so for a brand like Porsche whose value is based on exclusivity and brand image. Finding dozens of Porsche Taycans online at ridiculous prices (as ridiculous as the price of a car that starts at over 100,000 euros can be) would be killing its position as a brand that one longs to achieve at some point in their life. Have we reached the limit? The Porsche Taycan was a success in its first years. In a few months of 2020, it already placed more than 20,000 units and in its first full year it exceeded 41,000 units. After a small drop in 2022, in 2023 it once again surpassed that barrier of 40,000 units and everything seemed to be going smoothly. In fact, the company based its strategy for the future on electricity as a fundamental pillar. But 2024 arrived and the crash began. Sales fell by half that year. In 2025 they remained at just over 16,000 units and the accounts say that it looks even worse for the remainder of the year. Along the way, the Chinese public that was essential for Porsche has turned its back on itfocusing on luxury cars much cheaper they are faster and that, above all, They offer other types of experiences. Chinese market closedeverything indicates that in the United States and Europe the market is already full of Porsche Taycan. It must be taken into account that the brand also has to deal with the tariffs in the United States which forces them to raise the price of the car or assume a narrower profit margin. We might think that we are facing the usual drop in sales of a product at the end of its commercial life, but the Taycan was renewed in 2024 and there is no announced replacement model that would make it lose its appeal. a trend. The production stoppage of the Taycan is just one more example of how the market is retreating. The company opted to convert the Macan, its great best-seller, into electric and the bet has gone wrong in numerical terms. Also they seem to have gone backwards to its “electric-only” project for the future Porsche 718. “We were wrong,” its former CEO has come to point out.now president of the Volkswagen Group. On the same wavelength, Lamborghini has stopped its plans to put an electric supercar on the market. Lotus, which within Geely was betting everything on pure electric, will also return to the combustion engine although with hybridization. And Mercedes is going the same way because does not sell its most expensive models. a problem. The electric supercar has a problem: it is not sold. In China, where electric has been assumed as the only future, it seems that there is no turning back but in United States emissions regulations have been eliminated and in Europe it will be allowed to sell cars with combustion engines in a movement that limits them to the most expensive and exclusive vehicles. That is to say, in Europe combustion sports cars will be even more exclusive, as the general fleet of vehicles is rapidly electrified. But, also, an electric can’t match the experience of its sound, its smell and its touch. It may be faster but it doesn’t sell the same experience. a clue. In the last week, Mercedes has presented the new Mercedes-AMG GT in its fully electric version. Without noise, they have recorded the sound of the legendary V8 that until now was under the hood to include it as a soundtrack. An attempt to make the car more than just a fast but aseptic product. The other great failure among the public has been the Ferrari Luce. On social networks and even the most renowned voices within the Ferrari orbit They have skinned him. But the movement is interesting because the new electric points to a different strategyto an audience that Ferrari does not have right now. It doesn’t want to be an electric supercar, it wants to be a fashion accessory. And only from there is its launch understood. Photo | In Xataka | The new Ferrari Luce is much more than Ferrari’s first electric car. It is a desperate cry to find a new audience

The Ferrari Luce is a game of lies. And that says a lot about the problems that all electric supercars have.

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Unless you’ve been lost on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific for the last 36 hours, there’s a good chance you’ve had a little inkling of what’s happened to Ferrari. The brand of Il Cavallino has presented its first electric car, the Ferrari Luce. And no, I didn’t like it. The vehicle designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson has had an almost unanimous response. Undoubtedly, it has not been saved from criticism on social networks. But he has also received them from figures such as Luca Cordero di Montezemolowho led the company for more than a decade. The former president of the Italians has made statements as harsh as that Ferrari is running the risk of “destroying its myth.” But there are reasons to understand why the new Ferrari Luce is unlike anything we’ve seen from Ferrari before. It is not that we defend its aesthetics, we point out why the company seems to have wanted to completely separate this new electric line from its more sporty image. Everything seems to indicate that They are doing everything possible to find a new audience. Ferrari has preferred to put aside its intention to create a completely electric supercar. At the moment, that market does seem completely deserted in terms of potential clients. The Porsche Taycan is stuck. The Rimac Refrigerator does not sell. Brands like Lamborghini have distanced themselves from the pool when they realized that it most likely lacks water. And the electric supercar is faster than a gasoline one. Its acceleration is unmatched. Well executed, it can have a faster and more spectacular cornering than any thermal rival. But in this life not everything is numbers. And when you sell experiences, that’s a problem. It’s not perfect, it’s better than that There is something disturbing about perfection: the absence of soul. Human beings feel pleasure through the senses and enjoy experiences. He likes the tactile, he delights in sound, he tastes and smells with pleasure. And that is difficult to overcome. Even though the substitute product is more efficient and more effective. Cleaner and odorless. A Tesla Model 3 Performance is faster than most sports cars of the moment. Its 3.1 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h was impossible to match for any mass vehicle, a figure within the reach of the best. Cars worth hundreds of thousands of euros. But saying that it is a better sports car than a naturally aspirated V12 is like equating a paella made with care and love over an orange wood fire with a pill manufactured by a pharmaceutical company in seconds at a ridiculous price. Both can provide the same nutrients but I am clear about which one provides more pleasure. The same thing happens with supercars. With any sports car, in fact. And that is a problem for the electric car. Let alone for a brand like Ferrari. When someone buys a Ferrari, buy an experience. Just like when you buy a Lamborghini, a Porsche or, much simpler, a Mazda MX-5. The car is, in most cases, an object of mobility. The electric car is the best and maximum expression of that. Especially in the city. But a sports car is not only about cornering and acceleration that glues you to your seat. Guillermo García Alfonsín explains well why the electric Mini JCW is fun: because it’s not tuned well on purpose. Imperfection attracts us. A Miata isn’t especially fast, but the driving experience is one of the best. The characteristic sound of an engine, whether it is a V6, V12 or an inline five-cylinder. A precise and manual gearbox. Its metallic sound of an H shift in classic supercars. Cabin vibrations. The smell of gasoline while you refuel. All of these are unmatched experiences for an electric car. All things being equal, they are faster and more effective. But the brands are aware that their customers have enormous reluctance to this clean and odorless experience when Mercedes installs an artificial sound in the new Mercedes-AMG GT, the electric that comes to replace the roar of its V8. In their Ferrari Luce, the Italians have chosen a different path. In its press release, the brand refers to the, undoubtedly, very high performance of a car capable of developing more than 1,000 HP of power. To the innovations used to carry out our own development with more than 60 patents. The truth is that, despite everything, a Tesla Model S Plaid that costs cost Five times less is faster. But in its text, Ferrari has tried to value the experiential nature of the proposal. For example, the explanation of how sound works: The Ferrari Luce’s approach to sound is based on the key principle that it must be authentic and functional, generated from the car’s own mechanics and at the service of the driving experience. A precision accelerometer located in the center of the shaft captures the dynamic texture and vibration of rotating components while sound waves are in motion. Developed in-house and patented, this system filters, equalizes and amplifies the signal similar to how an electric guitar does, but only when functional to the driving experience. The sound will depend on the driving mode chosen but also on the use of the paddles, to simulate an experience similar to what would be changing gears with a combustion engine. Cams for a car without gear change. Lie upon lie to build an identity It must be said that Ferrari is by no means the only company that opts for these trompe-l’oeil games. We have mentioned the case of Mercedes but the speakers to filter the sound inside the cabin and comply with the noise limits outside have been on the market for years. Toyota has patents for simulate gear changes in electric cars without gear changes. Honda does exactly the same with its new Prelude. The engineering behind the automobile has been an art since its birth. An art based on engineering and product development that, … Read more

The Ferrari Luce is horrifying almost everyone. And that’s the smartest thing Ferrari has ever done.

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When I write these lines, less than twelve hours have passed since Ferrari presented its first electric car. But what could be a polarizing release has become more or less unanimous if you scroll through social networks like X or Instagram comments. He Ferrari Luce is: ugly. There would be those who were in favor of a completely electric Ferrari but if we talk about its pure aesthetics, no one seems to make sense of it. It didn’t take long for them to arrive comparisons with a Nissan Leafjokes that They resemble the Luce with Apple’s Magic Mouse and its controversial loading port and, of course, a huge string of comments in which it is questioned that someone can buy “that” for more than 600,000 euros. And that’s the smartest thing Ferrari has ever done. No, I will not be the one to defend the aesthetics of the most anticipated electric car in years. I won’t be the one to say that I like it, because I would be betraying the truth. I will not be the one to defend, even, its interior. But I understand what they have done. Or I think I understand it, you will say. The largest accessory in the world Ferrari is passion. Ferrari is sportsmanship. Ferrari is the sound of the best V12. But Ferrari has also become something more. Ferrari, the most famous car manufacturer in the world, has long since transcended the market itself. The Il Cavallino brand is fashion and design. Although some don’t like (or we don’t like) that fashion or that design. With the current European emissions regulations and due to its own positioning in the collective ideology, Ferrari needed to release an electric car. It is not that the brand has problems passing on the million-dollar fines for excess emissions from its cars to its customers, but the Luce allows them to expand their profit margin per unit sold so that Europe does not narrow it. And we must not forget that the huge investment in R&D not only reverts to the Luce, the Ferrari F80, which is the brand’s most advanced car and one of those exclusive units that the firm launches every 10 years mounts the same electric motors for its hybrid train. Decisions that will be maintained over time. In short, if Ferrari wants continue putting a naturally aspirated V12 engine on the market Earning the enormous amount of money he earned with each unit sold, he had no choice but to launch an electric car. At this point, the company had two paths to take. The first was to create an electric Ferrari. Simply. An aesthetic similar to what we already know, but with an electrical system that takes the hiccups away. There would be no doubt that the launch would have been less polarizing, with its detractors assured but also its staunch defenders. The second possibility was to take an alternative route, to do something completely different. And that’s what they’ve done. Right now, the electric supercar market does not exist. The Porsche Taycan achieved enormous success in its first years, hiding its enormous weight with a behavior that our colleague Héctor Ares said he had never experienced. But over the years, sales have been deflating. Mate Rimac said that his supercar, the Rimac Refrigerator which was sold as the electric car faster and more advanced of the world, It is not sold because the customer feels that a political decision is being imposed on them. Lamborghini has canceled its plans to launch an electric car because it says it does not match its essence and, we imagine, potential sales have cooled down. Anyone looking for a supercar wants it for image. But also because he enjoys the sound of his engine, the sharp click of his gear change. It’s an image, of course, but the experience brings with it additional sensations that are impossible to match with an electric car at the moment, no matter how fast it is. Interior of the new Ferrari Luce The alternative has been find a new audience. The choice of Jony Ive to design the interior of the car gave clues that, for better or worse, the Ferrari Luce would be different. And you may like it more or less but the design exercise is intelligent and well thought out. The choice of the former Apple guru together with Marc Newson he anticipated strong emotions. And the result speaks for itself. According to the brand, this duo “was given the necessary creative freedom to define the design direction of the project from the beginning” and their collaboration with Ferrari Design Studio added “a fresh perspective and mutual enrichment, allowing the introduction of a new aesthetic language” If it makes complete sense, it is because Ferrari has lost the purist in this segment. Whether you like it more or less aesthetically, betting on the same line to create an electric supercar would condemn you to ostracism. Rejected by the hardest wing and diluted in the range for the client who was no longer considering a Ferrari from the start. The Ferrari Luce is the largest accessory in the world. It is not designed to check if that 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds is real. Or if it is true that it reaches 310 km/h top speed. Nor to face his almost 2,300 kg on a circuit. The Ferrari Luce was born as a luxury accessory for the elite. To enjoy the best restaurants in the center of cities like London, New York or Miami. The way of shouting that you are trendy, that no matter how much money you have you are committed to a certain lifestyle. Just like a Lamborghini Urus, it is designed to be walked on the street and not to face a circuit, no matter how surprising its performance on it was. That the car is the first five-seater Ferrari in history is a good example of the underlying philosophy. Enzo Ferrari … Read more

Now it’s worth more than a Ferrari

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While Formula 1 rests between races, Fernando Alonso continues to make people talk. This time not from the cockpit of his Aston Martin or showing off his exclusive Pagani Zonda Green Diamond of 10 million eurosbut from the streets of Monaco at the wheel of an Italian compact from the 90s that many believed forgotten. As and how did he count Motorpassionthe Asturian pilot has been seen circulating with a Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 6and the scene has generated both admiration and nostalgia among motor fans. If you were a teenager in the 90s and you liked cars, your room was surely decorated with a poster of this car. Although it has not been officially confirmed that the car is owned by Alonso, there is a detail that suggests that the legendary limited edition Delta Integrale is already part of the two-time champion’s garage: it is the license plate that the car sports. in the videos that have gone viral on social networks: he wears the number 14, Alonso’s fetish number. An icon of the rally with 310 units in the world The Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 6 is not just any nostalgic whim. This version was launched in 1992 to commemorate the sixth consecutive constructors’ title that Lancia achieved in the World Rally Championshipa feat that no other brand has matched in the WRC. Only 310 units were manufactured of this Lancia Delta between the end of 1992 and 1993, which explains both its sentimental value and its current price on the collectors market. RM Sotheby’s (Motorcar Studios) The Martini 6 edition is instantly identified by its line with blue and red stripes on white bodywork, inherited from the team’s official sponsor, Martini Racing. Inside, Recaro seats in blue with red stitching, a carbon fiber shift knob and a numbered plate that indicates which of the 310 units manufactured the car belongs to. Under the bulging hood to make room for the engine that characterized the entire Delta Integrale family, there is a 2-liter four-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged engine with 210 HP distributed among the four wheels, which allowed the vehicle to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. To put it in perspective it was the same time a Ferrari Testarossa of the time, and could reach a maximum speed of 220 km/h. A real wolf disguised as an elegant Italian utility vehicle from the 90s. RM Sotheby’s (Motorcar Studios) From the original 40,000 euros to 350,000 in the current market When it was released, the special edition Martini 6 It cost about 40,000 euros in exchange, a considerable figure that, at that time, was more typical of a Porsche 911 than an Italian compact. Three decades later, and as has happened with many other models from the 90s, the collector market has multiplied that value spectacularly. In 2023, the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 6 with the 272 frame went up for auction at RM Sotheby’s. The bidding hammer fell when it reached $117,600. The best preserved specimens and with about 20,000 kilometers they can already reach 300,000 euros, and those who have traveled less than 5,000 kilometers are close to 350,000 euros. The Lancia is not the only classic with which Alonso has been seen in Monaco during the season break. In recent weeks too has circulated with a Ferrari F40, a Mercedes CLK GTR, a Lamborghini Sián and an exclusive Pagani Zonda Diamante Verde. What differentiates this Lancia from the rest of the cars in Alonso’s garage is precisely its character. The Delta is neither a luxury supercar with stratospheric figures nor a work of art with hand-made body. It’s a 90s compact with racing pedigree. He last bastion of authenticity for the petrolhead. The memory of when mechanics and pilot were connected at a level that no current electronic control unit could match. In Xataka | Porsche has discovered that making expensive supercars is no longer so profitable: now the money is in making each car unique Image | RM Sotheby’s (Motorcar Studios), Fernando Alonso

In Singapore, luxury is not having a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. True luxury is simply driving

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Singaporethat small city/country-state between Malaysia and Indonesia where there are barely more than five million inhabitants, is a place of contrasts. While the enclave has a high degree of government control and certain practices that can be classified as repressive, on the other hand, new technologies are embraced to the point of being a world reference in the public sphere towards AI. There, having a car is not a practical necessity, it is a statement of status. Driving in Singapore. The story was told a year ago. the new york times. In Singapore, owning a car is not practical, it is more of a statement comparable to wearing a designer suit or sporting a luxury watch. The reason? He property certificate system (introduced in 1990 to control congestion and pollution) requires citizens to pay astronomical sums just for the right to buy a vehicle. These certificates, known as certificates of entitlement (COE), can reach up to $84,000raising the total price of common automobiles to exorbitant figures more typical of a supercar. As insurance agent Andre Lee, who in 2020 paid $24,000 for a Kia Forte Second-hand, having a car was simply part of his professional image, although he later recognized that the expense was not justified and chose to sell it. The price in 2026. This year, the COE system has prices that exceed usually $100,000 Singaporeans (about 70,000–85,000 euros) just for the right to circulate for ten years. The different categories oscillate in that range, with large and premium cars reaching the highest figures, while even commercial vehicles and motorcycles have seen notable increases compared to previous years. This volatility, with biweekly auctions that can move prices by thousands of euros, reflects a deja vu: an extremely stressed market where artificial scarcity imposed by the State continues to be the dominant factor, even above the cost of the vehicle itself. An unnecessary luxury. The underlying problem is also explained from another side. With a public transport network affordable and effective, few residents They really need a car to get around the city. Long rides cost less than two dollars and transportation apps like Grab are available. widely available. Despite this, twice a month they celebrate COE auctionswith limited quotas set by the government. This policy has been very effective: Singapore has only 11 cars per 100 inhabitants, far below countries like the United States or Italy, where the figure exceeds 75. Other cities have adopted anti-congestion measures, such as urban tolls in LondonStockholm or New Yorkbut none charges as much to own a car as Singapore. The car and social classes. For the richest in the country, purchasing a vehicle with all the associated costs does not represent a problem. Su-Sanne Ching, a businesswoman, said that paid $150,000 by a Mercedes-Benzincluding a COE of $60,000. On the other hand, for the middle class, especially families with children, the car becomes a luxury that is difficult to sustain. Joy Fang and her husband told the Times that they bought a used Hyundai Avante in 2022 for $58,000 to take his two children. Every month they allocate more than 10% of their family budget to maintain the vehicle, which has forced them to reduce outings and trips. Even so, they consider that the alternative (moving with small children and bags on public transport) is unviable. Help for electricians. Regarding “electrification”, the main aid (EEAI) has been reduced by half. Previously up to 15,000 SGD, and now it has a maximum of SGD 7,500. Not only that, apparently, it already has a date of disappearance by 2027. Plus: the VES system too has been adjusted and has progressively reduced incentives. In other words, this year, the nation seems to be in the phase of progressive withdrawal of aid to electric vehicles. Sometimes not even the symbolism. There are more extreme cases. Even for those who purchase a car for symbolic or professional reasons, as Andre Leecumulative expenses can cause the decision loses meaning. Maintenance, gas, parking and insurance end up exceeding initial expectations. Lee, for example, sold his car three years after purchasing it and now commutes by public transportation, or borrows his father’s vehicle when he needs to meet clients. In his opinion, there are other priorities that ended up outweighing the image projected by having your own car. Rational choice versus chaos. Singapore’s restrictive model contrasts with that of other Southeast Asian cities like Jakarta or Bangkokwhere extreme traffic turns travel into an odyssey. For many Singaporeans, giving up the personal car is a reasonable price to enjoy clearer streets and fast journeys. In this regard and according to sociologist Chua Beng Huatthe choice is cultural and practical: the population prefers to avoid long hours behind the wheel. The man himself, despite owning a BYD SUV to transport his grandchildren, says he uses the subway when he goes downtown. Ultimately, the car in Singapore appears to have become an aspirational rather than a functional commodity, one reserved for those who can afford it without compromising their finances. Unlike other parts of the world where the vehicle represents an almost imperative need for mobility or independence, in the island-state it is, for many, a luxury that compares with the most ostentatious objects. Driving there is like having a Rolex, or almost. Image | William Cho In Xataka | Guide to know if your car will be able to circulate in the ZBEs of Madrid in 2025: labels, registrations and areas In Xataka | How to make an appointment at the IMSS online in Mexico A version of this article was published in 2025. We have updated its content with everything that has happened since then.

A Xiaomi SU7 has humiliated an entire Ferrari SF90 in an acceleration race. And that means absolutely nothing

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If in recent days you have wandered through social networks (and something tells me that is very likely) perhaps you have seen a video in which a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra makes a fool of an entire Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale in an acceleration race. “A Ferrari worth a million euros losing against a phone manufacturer” reads the tweet from accounts like that of @kinglinzhui who regularly posts information or videos proselytizing Chinese technology and culture. The tweet, in fact, has also been replicated by high-ranking figures in the State, as the Chinese ambassador to Colombia. In the video you can actually see how The Chinese car passes over the Ferrari. He Xiaomi SU7 Ultra It is the most advanced electric car from the Chinese manufacturer. It has 1,548 HP of power available and is limited to 350 km/h. He Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale It is also the most radical version of one of the most advanced sports cars that Ferrari has launched in recent years. In this case it is a plug-in hybrid with 1,030 HP of power with a V8 engine that generates up to 797 HP of power and is supported by three other electric motors to give the best of itself. Although there are some details to understand why the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is faster, both Twitter accounts have focused on the inevitable: the most emblematic Western firm that puts a million-euro car on the market. (actually it is a limited edition of 790 units sold starting at 770,000 euros) is crushed by an electric supercar from a company that has just been born in the automobile market and that opened reserves for just over 100,000 euros at direct exchange. The problem is that it doesn’t mean much. Or, directly, it doesn’t mean anything. Click on the image to go to the original tweet The problem is the aura How important is technique in the debate? Everything and nothing really. And the first thing to keep in mind is that the comparison does not hold up. An electric car with more than 1,500 HP of power will always be faster in a straight line race than a car with a combustion engine. All its difficulty (and it is not a little, mind you) lies in being able to lower the power to the ground in the most effective way and launch the car forward as quickly as possible. In this case, it doesn’t matter if we are comparing a Ferrari with a Xiaomi or any other high-performance electric car. It is also not the first time we have seen comparisons of this type. And it is that carwow has already demonstrated the potential of the electric car facing a Kia EV6 GT against a Ferrari Purosangue. The power and sound of the naturally aspirated V12 against a general electric sports car. The result was the same again, with the Ferrari crushed. In the case of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale things change a little because those from Maranello have in this case an electrified car on their hands. All in all, although it certifies 0 to 100 km/h in just over two seconds, it is not enough to defeat the Chinese electric car. The problem for Xiaomi is that it sweeps the purely technical section but there is something it cannot offer right now compared to one of Ferrari’s most advanced cars in recent years: aura. When you spend more than 770,000 euros on a Ferrari (as if you were spending a million euros) it is not because you want to buy the fastest car. Or, at least, not only for that. First, you have to understand that the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale is a circuit car, designed to perform at its best when linking curves. Something in which, of course, Also the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has proven to be among the best. The case of this Ferrari is special because the “Program XX” It is designed to sell to a very specific group of customers a car that is not approved for the street, that can only be driven on a track. In fact, Ferrari takes the car wherever you want and maintains it when you have it stopped. It is a service typical of a pilot. However, this time, Ferrari has made the necessary adjustments to be able to drive it wherever the client wants. That exclusivity, that treatment of the customer is what a Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale customer buys when they get one of these limited units. The customer of this type of car is not concerned that a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is faster in a straight line. I would dare say that few even care that it is faster on a track. Building a car brand from scratch has this problem. And it is even more complicated when it comes to an electric car. Chinese brands face a major obstacle. In many cases they are technically better than Westerners but they lack history. My colleague Javier Lacort explains it well in the podcast Infinite Loop. It is no coincidence that Xiaomi partners with Leica on its mobile phones. Nor that TCL has done the same with Sony for its televisions. Building a brand from scratch and having specific recognition as a firm that makes premium products worldwide is very complicated. The Volkswagen Group needed shovelfuls of marketing money for more than two decades to ensure that Audi was perceived as a German premium at the level of Mercedes or BMW. And the higher you aim, the more difficult it is to achieve that recognition. But Xiaomi also has another challenge: creating a story around its electric devices. When we tested the Porsche Macan We said that the car was great, a sporty electric SUV for traveling at extraordinary speed. And yet, it lacks soul. Because that same car previously had a V6 engine that generated sensations that were impossible to replicate by an electric car. It … Read more

an exclusive Ferrari worth 40 million euros

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There are weddings that are remembered for the banquetfor the dress or for the music. Charles Leclerc’s wedding will be remembered, above all, for the car. The Monegasque Scuderia Ferrari driver married Alexandra Saint-Mleux a few days ago in an intimate ceremony held in Monaco, and chose to leave the place of celebration a piece of motor history: a Ferrari 250 Testa rossa from 1957. The images that went viral In networks they showed the couple traveling the streets of the Principality aboard a car that, according to the most recent estimatesmay have a price close to 40 million euros. A picture that is rarely seen outside of a museum or an elite auction. A car born to win that became a myth The protagonist of this story is the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, a two-seater roadster built with a single purpose: to compete and win. His name, precursor of the mythical name that the brand was about to losemeans “Red Head”, in reference to the color with which the cylinder heads of its engine were painted, a 3.0 liter V12 capable of developing 300 HP. For the time, those figures were a declaration of intentions. Essentially designed to participate in the Sport Prototype championship of the 60s, the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa It competed directly against rising brands such as Maserati or Aston Martin. Among his most notable achievements is having inaugurated the Ferrari record in the 24 Hours of Le Mansone of the great milestones in the history of the Italian brand. Beyond its sporting history, the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that Lecrerc wore at his wedding is also a work of engineering thought out down to the last detail. Its structure is based on a tubular chassis and has body elements designed exclusively by Scaglietti, which further adds more value to each unit. Under its body hides a 140-liter fuel tank, a four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension and disc brakes. With all this technical equipment, the car was capable of reaching a maximum speed of 270 km/h, a truly extraordinary figure for a two-seater vehicle that did not exceed 800 kg in weight. An exclusive gem in every sense Today, driving one of these cars through the streets of Monaco is already something almost extraordinary due to the extremely high historical value, but also economical of the unit. One of the factors that contributes to its exclusivity is that Ferrari only manufactured 19 unitsso we are talking about one of the rarest classic cars that exist on the face of the Earth. That rarity has a market price that goes accordingly. OK to what was published by The Vanguarda 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa already broke world records at auction in 2009, when it was awarded for 9,020,000 euros at the event Ferrari Leggenda and Passione celebrated in Maranello. Since then, its price has only grown. There is one detail that should be clarified, and that is that the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that Leclerc drove on his wedding day is not his property. It was a special loan for the link, most likely coming from the Ferrari historical collection. Even so, the gesture of the Italian brand towards one of its star drivers says a lot about the relationship between the brand and the young driver. A transfer that is already a gift in itself. What is clear is that Leclerc, known for his taste for historic automobiles and his professional link with the brand of The Prancing Horseknew how to make the most of the moment. While the world of Formula 1 was preparing for the start of the 2026 season at the Australian Grand Prix, the Monegasque driver got married and crossed Monaco at the wheel of one of the most valuable and exclusive cars on the planet. It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular way to start a new stage of life. In Xataka | The Ferrari F150 Muletto M4 has been key in the history of Ferrari. The problem is that it has also been the ugliest Image | Ferrari, Flickr (Dave Hamster, Mike Turner, Jim Culp)

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