Ferrari is on the eve of introducing its first electric vehicle to the market, but not everything about it is new.
Ferrari recently announced the name of its upcoming EV – the Luce. But there’s just one problem: the Luce is a name that’s already been used by another automaker, Mazda, who marketed its own Luce for decades.
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According to Carscoops, the original Luce was Mazda’s flagship sedan between the 1960s and the 1990s. The badge carries so much heritage with the brand that the automaker reportedly referenced it as recently as 2017, saying its Vision Coupe concept paid tribute to the 1969 Luce Rotary Coupe.
Another indication that Mazda still carries a torch for the Luce is recent evidence of a potentially brewing patent battle.
Since February, Ferrari has had a Luce patent pending in Italy. Meanwhile, after Ferrari revealed the name, Mazda filed a trademark application for Luce in Japan – a decision that Carscoops says “comes at an awkward moment for Ferrari.”
That’s because even if Mazda patents the name only in certain markets, it could be enough to prevent Ferrari from launching the product globally under the same moniker.
And while a late-game name change would draw some perhaps unwanted attention for Ferrari, the vehicle itself should be generating some interest on its own.
The interior was developed by the LoveForm design studio, helmed by famous former Apple product designer Jony Ive. Carscoops says the vehicle “cleverly integrates modern digital tech with classic Ferrari visual cues.”
Not to mention, the Ferrari EV features four electric motors, boasting 0 to 62 in 2.5 second and a top speed of 193 miles per hour.
So if the vehicle can stand on its own, how important is the name… really? We’re about to find out.
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