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Jony Ive Designs the Interior of the Ferrari Luce—and It Might Be the Most Radical Cabin Maranello Has Ever Built

Apple never built its own car, but Ferrari just got the next best thing.

After quietly killing its decade-long automotive project, Apple’s greatest design export—Sir Jony Ive—has resurfaced in a far more fitting home: Maranello. The legendary designer behind the iPhone, iPad, and Mac has crafted the interior of Ferrari’s first electric vehicle, the Ferrari Luce, and the result looks less like a traditional supercar cockpit and more like something that escaped from Cupertino’s skunkworks.

Ferrari reached out to Ive shortly after he left Apple in 2019 to form LoveFrom with fellow industrial-design icon Marc Newson. Two years of negotiations followed before the partnership was finalized in 2021. Now, with the Luce set for a formal reveal in 2026, we’re finally seeing what happens when Ferrari’s mechanical obsession meets Apple’s minimalist religion.

And it’s weird—in a very Ferrari way.

Analog Soul, Digital Brain

The Luce’s interior doesn’t abandon Ferrari tradition. Instead, it remixes it. There’s a digital display, sure, but it’s surrounded by a forest of physical switches, rotary knobs, and tactile controls. Ive and Newson deliberately resisted the Tesla-style slab of glass approach.

The centerpiece is a 10.2-inch OLED screen that rotates and responds to touch, but it doesn’t dominate the cabin. Ferrari still wants you driving, not scrolling. Volume is controlled by a physical glass dial. Large, solid switches flank the screen. The layout adapts to what the driver is doing, but it always keeps the car—not the software—front and center.

“It was very clear to us that we had to find as many ways as possible to intuitively and physically connect with the interface,” Ive said.

In other words: Ferrari drivers don’t want to swipe—they want to feel.

A Steering Wheel From Another Century

The most shocking element isn’t a screen at all. It’s the steering wheel.

Gone is Ferrari’s current spaceship-style yoke loaded with capacitive buttons. In its place is a three-spoke wheel inspired by the classic Nardi designs of the 1950s and 60s—complete with wood trim. It weighs 400 grams less than Ferrari’s current wheel, and its spokes are made from 100-percent recycled aluminum.

This is retro-futurism at its finest: old-school aesthetics hiding next-gen engineering. It’s also an unmistakable statement that Ferrari wants the Luce to feel like a Ferrari, even without an engine.

Apple Obsession, Ferrari Execution

If you think Apple sweats the details, Ferrari just went further.

The seat rails—the parts you never see—are molded and anodized. There are more than 40 pieces of Gorilla Glass surrounding the driver. Even the vents are sculpted like precision instruments rather than plastic afterthoughts.

And then there’s the key.

Yes, Ferrari redesigned the key.

It features an e-ink display, and when you insert it into the dashboard, the yellow glow visually “flows” from the key into the car. It serves no mechanical purpose whatsoever—and that’s exactly why it exists. It’s pure Ive: design as an emotional experience.

Designing in a World of Rules

Ive admits the car world was a shock.

“I’ve never worked in an area that’s so regulated,” he said. “Some of it is great… but some of it drives you crazy.”

That tension—between creativity and safety, beauty and bureaucracy—shapes every inch of the Luce. Ferrari’s first electric car isn’t just a technological pivot. It’s a philosophical one.

Marc Newson summed it up best:
“Jony and I share a really, really deep interest in automotive stuff… it’s probably a hobby for both of us.”

And it shows.

What Is the Ferrari Luce?

Ferrari hasn’t released specs, pricing, or even confirmed the rumored May preview. What we do know is that the Luce will be the brand’s first fully electric production car, with its official debut planned for the second half of 2026.

Whether it starts a full EV lineup or remains a one-off experiment is still unclear. But one thing is certain:

This is not Ferrari reluctantly going electric.
This is Ferrari using electricity as an excuse to reinvent itself.

And with Jony Ive holding the pen, the future of Ferrari suddenly looks a lot like the future Apple never got to build.

Source: Ferrari

Auctions

How a 2005 Mercedes-AMG CL65 Became a $300,000 Collectible

By the mid-2000s, Mercedes-AMG was in a very particular mood. Not the restrained, Nürburgring-lap-time-chasing AMG we know today, but the slightly unhinged, torque-drunk division that believed the correct answer to every engineering question was “add two more cylinders and a pair of turbochargers.” The CL65 AMG was the purest expression of that mindset, and one impossibly preserved example has just proven that the world is finally ready to pay for it.

This Alabaster White 2005 CL65 AMG crossed the auction block for more than $300,000, a figure that would have sounded ridiculous a decade ago but now feels eerily logical. When new, this coupe already carried a stratospheric $182,280 sticker, which inflation turns into roughly the same $300K it just fetched. In other words, this car didn’t just hold its value—it completed a 20-year financial round trip back to its original altitude.

That alone would be impressive. The real story is what this thing is.

A Bentley in Disguise, a Supercar at Heart

Under the pillarless, yacht-like body of the C215 CL-Class sits AMG’s most excessive production engine: a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12. Officially, it made 612 horsepower and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque, although everyone knew those numbers were conservative. In 2005, that put this Mercedes in the same power neighborhood as a Ferrari Enzo—except the CL65 could also heat, cool, and massage your back while doing it.

All of that thrust flows through a five-speed AMG SpeedShift automatic to the rear wheels, because at the time Mercedes hadn’t yet invented a transmission brave enough to handle that much torque with more ratios. Even so, the CL65 could catapult its nearly two-ton body forward with an effortlessness that bordered on absurd.

And yet, this wasn’t some stripped-out AMG special. It was a full-blown luxury coupe, complete with Active Body Control suspension, cross-drilled AMG brakes, and a cabin that feels more like a private jet than a sports car.

The Spec That Shouldn’t Work—but Does

This particular car was ordered new by Michael Fux, the philanthropist and serious collector known for his bold specifications, and it shows. The exterior is finished in Alabaster White, paired with a Java leather interior and chestnut wood trim. It’s an unusual combination, slightly flamboyant, and completely unforgettable—exactly the kind of thing that turns a production AMG into a one-off-feeling collector car two decades later.

The condition is where things really get wild. The odometer reads just 3,300 miles (5,300 km), which means this CL65 has averaged roughly 165 miles per year since new. That explains why it presents today as a near-museum piece, right down to its Michelin Pilot Sport tires with 2024 date codes and its still-immaculate interior.

And yes, it’s loaded. Heated and ventilated multi-contour AMG sport seats with massage, Keyless Go, Bose surround sound, COMAND navigation, Parktronic, a power rear sunshade, and even a trunk-mounted CD changer for those who miss the golden age of physical media. The instrument cluster tops out at 220 mph, a subtle reminder that this was never meant to be a mere luxury cruiser.

Why $300,000 Suddenly Makes Sense

For years, the CL65 AMG lived in the shadow of more obvious icons: the McLaren-engined SLR, the SL65 roadster, and the modern hyper-AMGs that followed. But tastes are changing. Collectors are rediscovering the era when AMG was gloriously unfiltered, building cars that made no apologies for their size, weight, or fuel consumption—only for their lack of restraint.

The CL65 represents the peak of that philosophy. A V12, twin turbos, no pillars, no compromises, and enough torque to bend space-time. Combine that with ultra-low mileage, a high-profile original owner, and a rare spec, and you get a perfect storm for value.

In 2005, this car was an outrageous indulgence. In 2026, it’s a rolling monument to a lost era of Mercedes-AMG madness—and now, officially, a six-figure collectible.

And honestly? That feels exactly right.

Source: Bring a Trailer

NEW CARS

Škoda Epiq

If Škoda’s EV strategy were a ladder, the Epiq would be the first rung that most people actually want to step on. Unveiling in the first half of this year, the all-new Epiq is Škoda’s smallest, cheapest, and arguably most important electric vehicle yet—a city-sized crossover aimed squarely at drivers who like the idea of an EV but not the price tags that usually come with one.

And in classic Škoda fashion, it’s trying to do the sensible thing in an irrational market.

A Kamiq for the Electric Age

Park the Epiq next to a combustion-powered Kamiq and you’ll immediately understand what Škoda is going for. At 4171 mm long, it sits right in the same urban-SUV footprint, but it uses Volkswagen Group’s new front-wheel-drive MEB+ platform to stretch the wheelbase, flatten the floor, and carve out far more usable space.

The result? A 475-liter trunk, which is a ridiculous number for a sub-compact crossover—and 75 liters more than the Kamiq manages. Fold the seats and you get 1344 liters, meaning the Epiq punches well above its weight for IKEA runs, airport trips, and anything else city life throws at it.

This is where Škoda keeps winning: not with flashy tech demos, but with quiet, practical victories.

Small EV, Big Range

Three versions will be offered, and they’re neatly spaced for different buyers:

ModelPowerBattery0–100 km/hRange
Epiq 3585 kW38.5 kWh (LFP)11.0 s315 km
Epiq 4099 kW38.5 kWh (LFP)9.8 s315 km
Epiq 55155 kW55 kWh (NMC)7.4 s430 km

The smaller battery uses LFP chemistry, which is cheaper, more durable, and better suited for everyday charging habits. The bigger 55-kWh pack switches to NMC, trading cost for higher energy density and a genuinely impressive 430-km WLTP range.

Fast charging is another win: the top-spec Epiq 55 pulls up to 133 kW, good for a 10–80% recharge in 23 minutes. That’s proper road-trip usability, not just city-car convenience.

A New Face for Škoda

The Epiq is also the first production Škoda to go all-in on the brand’s new Modern Solid design language. You get a chunky, confident stance, tight body lines, and a drag coefficient of just 0.275, helped by active air shutters and hidden air curtains in the front bumper.

But the real headline is the lighting.

For the first time, a Škoda production car wears a T-shaped light signature front and rear, giving the Epiq a look that’s more sci-fi than supermarket parking lot. Higher trims get Matrix LED headlights with 12 segments and adaptive modes for city, highway, and bad weather.

This is Škoda finally admitting that even affordable cars deserve to look cool.

Minimalist, But Still Clever

Inside, the Epiq ditches old-school clutter for a clean, horizontal layout built around a 5.3-inch driver display and a 13-inch central touchscreen. It feels modern without going full tablet-on-a-stick.

Materials matter too. Every interior uses 100% recycled PES fabrics, with three design themes:

  • Studio – simple and durable
  • Loft – grey or mint green with synthetic Techtona trim
  • Suite – brown Suedia and Techtona for a more upscale vibe

Ambient lighting is standard on Loft and Suite, helping the small cabin feel bigger and warmer.

And yes, it still has Škoda’s beloved Simply Clever tricks:
an umbrella in the door, a ticket holder on the windshield, an ice scraper made from recycled plastic—and a clever bag in the trunk specifically for charging cables.

Tech From a Bigger Class

Škoda didn’t cheap out on safety. The Epiq comes with Travel Assist 3.0, which combines adaptive cruise, lane centering, traffic-sign recognition, and even automatic stopping at red lights and stop signs.

There’s also:

  • Top View 360-degree cameras with 3D visualization
  • Cross Assist 2.0, warning of cars and cyclists when pulling out of blind intersections
  • Up to seven airbags, including a center airbag between the front seats

This is the kind of kit you used to find only in larger, more expensive SUVs.

The EV That Actually Makes Sense

Here’s the part that really matters: in many markets, the Epiq will be priced roughly the same as a gasoline-powered Kamiq.

That’s a big deal.

It means buyers won’t have to choose between affordability and electrification. They can simply pick the powertrain they prefer. For Škoda, it also means the Epiq becomes the gateway drug to its electric lineup—sitting below the Elroq and Enyaq, with the upcoming seven-seat Peaq waiting above.

In a European EV market full of either overpriced crossovers or ultra-cheap compromises, the Škoda Epiq aims straight for the middle—and that’s exactly where the real volume lives.

If Škoda gets the pricing right, this little electric SUV won’t just be another model in the lineup.
It could be the car that finally makes going electric feel… normal.

Source: Škoda