If you don't care you don't get angry.

Ferrari unveiled its first electric car this week, the Luce, pronounced loo-chey, and the backlash has been huge.

The company reportedly lost around £3 billion in one day.

At £476,000, the Luce has over 1,000hp, hits 100 km/h in about 2.5 seconds, and offers around 530 km of range.

It’s a 4-door, 5-seat GT co-designed by Jony Ive of Apple fame, and reactions have been polarising.

Some compared it to Nissan Motor Corporation’s new £32,000 Leaf, not helped by the similar launch colour.

Others said it betrayed Ferrari’s history.

And yet, this isn’t some rushed attempt to stay relevant.

At Apple, Jony Ive helped shape iconic products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air and Apple Watch.

So if someone with that record helps shape Ferrari’s first electric car, why has the reaction been so hostile?

We’ve seen this before.

Jaguar’s recent rebrand sparked similar outrage.

The reality is, it’s difficult being an automotive brand.

On one side, millions feel emotionally invested in what you should be.

On the other, emerging competitors leverage the design language, heritage and status cues you spent decades building, while aggressively undercutting you on price.

Just look at how many brands echo the new Land Rover Defender.

To me, the automotive sector feels different to other categories.

Fashion brands reinvent themselves constantly.

Technology companies pivot all the time.

Banks and airlines change logos and most people barely notice.

But automotive brands occupy a strange cultural space.

They build an emotional connection that’s hugely valuable.

But it can also become restrictive.

Maybe that’s what a backlash like this really shows.

Not that Ferrari has got it wrong.

But that Ferrari spent decades getting people to care enough to have an opinion.

And that’s the thing about brand investment.

People don’t get angry about brands they don’t care about.

Which is why the Luce is so interesting.

Like Jaguar with the Type 01, it isn’t designed for the traditional buyer.

It’s aimed at a new audience.

And that’s where the discomfort comes from.

People judge it against the version they carry in their heads.

Which raises an interesting question.

Are legacy automotive brands trapped by their own success?

Or is this proof that all those years of investment in the brand are exactly why people still care so deeply?

What do you think?