Ferrari CEO Insists There Is ‘Strong Interest’ In The Luce And People Exist Who Actually ‘Want It’

Good morning! It’s Friday, May 29, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you’ll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.

In this morning’s edition, Ferrari’s CEO swears people actually want the controversial Luce four-door, Toyota is giving up on development of its next-generation electric vehicle plans, a years-long strike against Tesla in Sweden is being downsized and Stellantis is recalling nearly 420,000 vehicles because of a side airbag issue.

Reception to Ferrari’s first electric vehicle, the Luce, has been cold to say the least, but CEO Benedetto Vigna insists that what you’re seeing and what you’re hearing aren’t actually happening. And, in actuality, there’s “strong interest” in the $640,000 Jony Ive-designed Luce from both new and existing customers.

Vigna defended the car, which many (including us) have been deeply critical of, not because it’s an EV, but because it’s just downright weird looking and very un-Ferrari. The Italian automaker showed the new model to 1,600 customers earlier this week at its launch in Rome, and order books opened on Wednesday. The CEO promises that people are actually into this thing. From Reuters:

“There is strong interest, including from new clients,” Vigna said ​during an automotive event in Modena, northern Italy.

[…]

“We’ve already received bank transfers, clients who were there want it,” the ​CEO said, adding Ferrari would provide precise figures about orders in July, ​when releasing its second quarter results.

Sure, Jan.

Vigna said critics should see the car. He rebuffed suggestions the Luce was a copy ​of other EVs ​on the market, ⁠including Chinese ones.

“If you see it and try it, you immediately understand it was not copied and it has ​nothing to share with other EVs you have seen ​and are ⁠produced by others, in terms of interiors, exterior and performance,” he said.

Clearly, Vigna knows the sort of vibe the Luce is giving off, as he stressed that the four-door was an addition to Ferrari’s lineup, and it wasn’t going to replace anything it currently makes. I mean, God forbid. He also commented on the kooky-high price, saying it was a fair price to pay for innovation. But, I mean, is it? What exactly is innovative about the car? There are plenty of EVs that’ll best it in terms of specs and performance that cost less than a third of what the Luce costs.

I suppose time will tell just how “strong” that interest really is.

Toyota has stopped development of its next-generation Lexus electric vehicle, citing weak demand and the fact that President Trump killed the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit. It comes during a broader review of new projects at the Japanese automaker.

The LF-ZC was expected to go on sale sometime in mid-2027 and include new technologies like gigacasting and more cost-effective batteries with faster charging speeds. From Bloomberg:

Those features will be carried over to other vehicles, a spokesperson for the Japanese carmaker said.

Toyota’s decision underscores how major automakers are recalibrating their electrification goals as demand growth slows and government incentives become less certain. The move by the world’s largest carmaker aligns with a review of its 2026 target to sell 1.5 million EVs and Chief Executive Officer Kenta Kon’s push to improve profitability.

When Toyota unveiled the concept model for the electrified Lexus in 2023, the initial goal was to introduce the model in 2026, although local media subsequently reported that it had been pushed back to next year.

When Lexus first unveiled this concept back in 2023, it was supposed to go on sale sometime in 2026. Obviously, that didn’t happen, and local media in Japan reported it had been pushed back into 2027. As it became clearer that buyers’ appetite for EVs was waning, Lexus decided to shelve the project altogether.

The move, of course, comes on the heels of the company officially launching the brand-new Lexus ES, which comes in both hybrid and all-electric flavors, as well as the all-electric TZ. So there’s still some appetite from the company to build EVs… just not this one.

A longtime strike by Swedish union workers at some Tesla facilities has been called off at some workshops in the cities of Malmo and Uppsala, as employees received a notice from the IF Metall union earlier this week. The labor dispute with Tesla has been dragging on in Sweden since October of 2023, beginning after Tesla refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the union.

Still, a broader labor dispute remains active at other sites across the country, and a union spokesperson says that “the conflict is not over” and it’s “prepared to sit down with Tesla and negotiate a collective agreement at any time.” From Bloomberg:

The walkout has expanded since 2023 through sympathy actions from other Nordic labor groups, affecting areas including vehicle servicing, port handling and logistics.

The strike by IF Metall at Tesla’s Swedish service operations has remained small in scale, with union statements describing participation as narrowing to dozens of workers rather than a full workforce walkout.

But operations in Sweden, where there’s a legal system protecting sympathy actions, have nevertheless suffered a setback as the dispute drew in other unions across transport, postal and electrical industries.

The standoff has tested Tesla in one of the world’s most unionized regions, where collective bargaining agreements underpin much of the labor market.

In Sweden, wages and workplace conditions are typically governed through union agreements rather than legislation, and labor leaders have argued that Tesla’s refusal to sign a deal challenges the Nordic employment model.

The dispute drew scrutiny from major Nordic investors including Nordea Asset Management and Folksam Group. In 2024, several of the region’s largest asset managers backed a shareholder proposal urging Tesla to formally commit to respecting freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.

That shareholder resolution was actually rejected at the company’s 2024 annual meeting after the board had recommended against the measure, arguing in a proxy filing that Tesla already had safeguards for employee rights. History has shown that that’s really not the case, though.

Jeep is recalling 419,035 SUVS in the U.S. because a software error could delay the side airbags from deploying in a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I don’t know about you, but when I crash my Jeep, I want to know the airbag is going to go off at the moment of impact. From AutoEvolution:

Suspect vehicles were produced for model years 2022 through 2026 at the Stellantis Detroit Assembly Complex.

The five-seat Grand Cherokee hails from the Jefferson North plant, whereas the Mack plant is tasked with assembling the Grand Cherokee L. Production dates range from May 16, 2022, through August 19, 2025, and May 16, 2022, through October 9, 2025, respectively.

[…]

Regarding the recall condition, drivers may notice the airbag light continuously illuminating in the cluster at each ignition cycle after the fault sets. Furthermore, a warning chime will also trigger at the beginning of each ignition cycle.

Robert Bosch is the supplier of the occupant restraint controller module and its software, and the software alone is listed under 29 unique part numbers. Stellantis North America became aware of a small number of warranty reports alleging iffy door airbag pressure sensors in February 2023, prompting an investigation.

Customers should be notified of the recall between June 11 and June 19 of this year, and dealers will update the occupant restraint controller module software free of charge.

Usually, I’d throw some sort of historical event in here, but my Photos app decided to serve me this photo of some cows I saw on a trip I took with my friends to Vermont five years ago instead. To me, that felt more important than whatever else happened today (please do not go looking for some incredibly significant event that took place on this date in the past that’ll make me look like a bad guy). I double checked, and I did indeed take this photo on May 29, 2021, so it is relevant to this specific day, and just look at these guys. Not only are they adorable, but they also look delicious. I hope they’re doing well.

I come bearing a Friday gift for everyone: the average price of a gallon of gas has dropped bellow $4.40 for the first time in God knows how long. Additionally, WTI Crude Oil futures and Brent Crude prices are down as well, sitting at $88 and $91, respectively, at the time of publication. While it remains to be seen if these tumbling prices are a sign of things to come or a momentary blip, it’s nice to get at least something of a break — though I’m sure most people aren’t going to notice a difference when they go to fill up their cars at the pump.

Here’s where national average prices stand right now, according to AAA:

AAA

All of this is to say that the average price of a gallon of gas dropped another 4 cents overnight to $4.39, according to AAA. It means we’re now down 17 cents from the 2026 record that was set back on May 21, when gas hit $4.56 per gallon.

How about a little Depeche Mode for this Friday morning? Who says no? Nobody? That’s great to hear, because you really didn’t have a choice in the matter, anyway. And, in any case, how can you not get down to “Never Let Me Down Again”? This song just has an unbelievable groove to it.