That's the problem. How do you distinguish your exotic EV from a regular one that gives the same performance? Ferraris are relatively fast cars. If everyone is building EVs that do 0-60mph in 3 seconds, do Ferraris need to be doing it in 2 seconds? If they aren't, what makes them better? As
@TheCracker pointed out when I questioned the price of an Evija, there is indeed scope for exotic hardware when it comes to electric motors. Perhaps there is with battery performance too, with batteries designed to dump huge dollops of power on to the motor, focussing on performance rather than efficiency, or some lightweight battery technology whose price puts it out of reach of a £50,000 family sedan. It has to offer something performance wise that you can't get for less money. It's easy to see where that expense goes with an exotic V12, less obvious (to me at least) with an electric motor. But of course my lack of imagination in this regard doesn't limit the engineers working on it 😄
Maybe this was how ICE motoring was in the early days.
I agree Ferrari built their image and reputation hugely with the success of the F1 team in the early 2000s, but the momentum was already there from the 1980s, when Magnum P.I. and later Miami Vice beamed the Italian supercars into nearly every western family's living room. Ferrari had sustained growth and popularity from both periods.
I too think the landscape is going to shift as EV marketshare goes up. Tesla of course already grew into a giant out of almost nothing, Lucid grew out of Tesla and are redefining the supersaloon, Rimac might not go that far as a brand but their technology is spawning EV hypercars like the Pininfarina Battista, I think they will grow a big background influence.
Lotus, who never traded on their engines, should be the established sportscar manufacturer best placed to move into the EV sportscar and supercar space. They've got years of experience making cars that are engaging to drive without the benefit of a sonically marvellous, revvy V10 or V12. Noone buys a Lotus for the engine. But they seem slow off the mark and the Emira feedback shows that they still aren't able to build trust in the brand. They might just stay as they are now, a left field choice for those few willing to make larger than normal sacrifices in reliability, quality and customer support for the last word in steering feel and chassis dynamics.
I love the Evija even though I expressed doubt about the price. I think it looks fantastic, and I trust Lotus, above anyone else, to be able to make an EV sportscar that is engaging, communicative and fun to drive. But they need to leap ahead before the market is filled up with Porsches, Ferraris and Rimac offshoots.
