Ferrari’s Marketing Chief Exits Just One Month After the Divisive Luce EV Launch

Ferrari is reshuffling its leadership just one month after pulling the covers off its first-ever electric car. This week the Italian marque confirmed that Enrico Galliera, its long-serving chief marketing and commercial officer, is departing the company after more than a decade at the helm of its brand strategy.

Galliera, who had led Ferrari’s marketing efforts since 2010, will be replaced in the leadership group by Massimiliano Di Silvestre, formerly the president and CEO of a separate division. According to the company, Di Silvestre steps into the role on July 1 and will answer directly to chief executive Benedetto Vigna.

Ferrari Luce unveiled in late March — The Ferrari Luce was unveiled to the public in late March. Photo: Ferrari

In its official statement, Ferrari framed the move as Galliera’s own decision, saying he had chosen to begin a new chapter in his career and had flagged that intention to the company some time ago. Reuters has reported that he notified the brand at the start of the year. Even so, the timing is striking, landing barely a month after the controversial debut of the Luce.

Vigna praised the outgoing executive, crediting Galliera with making an extraordinary contribution to Ferrari over his long career and with helping strengthen the brand around the world. During his tenure, Galliera helped the automaker more than double its deliveries, grow revenue substantially, and shepherd headline launches ranging from the hybrid LaFerrari to the battery-powered Luce.

Ferrari Luce interior and exterior design — The EV’s look, both inside and out, has been heavily criticized. Photo: Ferrari S.p.A.

That last project may prove to be his most polarizing legacy. In just over a month on the public stage, the Luce has become one of the most divisive cars in recent memory. Purists were always likely to bristle at a Prancing Horse powered by electrons rather than a screaming combustion engine, but the EV’s unconventional styling, penned by Jony Ive’s LoveFrom studio, has drawn just as much heat. Critics have gone so far as to compare the roughly 550,000-euro Ferrari to a far cheaper mass-market hatchback.

The backlash has rippled across the industry. Lamborghini chief Stephan Winkelmann, without naming Ferrari directly, told CNBC he felt vindicated in his own company’s decision to shelve its first EV. And while Ferrari’s share price slipped immediately after the Luce reveal, it has since recovered, climbing more than 11 percent in the weeks that followed.

Whether the Luce ultimately becomes a sales success or a cautionary tale, that question now belongs to Ferrari’s incoming marketing leadership rather than the executive who helped bring it to life.