Sorry, haters. Ferrari’s first EV is doing just fine

Sometimes the crowd is not so wise.

When Ferrari unveiled the Luce — its first EV — to the public in May, the internet reacted. And not in a positive way.

Critics compared the Luce wedge with a Nissan Leaf and said that Chinese EVs will you get over it while underestimating it in price. Even former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was among the haters. Ferrari shares fell 8% the day after the revelation. Their conclusion: Luce would be dumb.

It turns out that armchair car executives were wrong about the five-seater designed in large part by Jony Ive and his company, LoveFrom.

Ferrari hit this year’s sales target for the Luce in just two months, according to a report from the Financial Times. The automaker had hoped to sell just under 500 of the €555,000 ($630,000) EV, and based on previous reportsit seems that at least 20% will reach China. That’s not surprising, given that the Luce seems tailored to the Chinese market, which favors fast, stylish four-door EVs.

TechCrunch has reached out to Ferrari to confirm the details, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.

Much of the internet hate was directed at Luce’s styling, which conformed to some Ferrari rules while others flew out the window. Looks are subjective and I’ve seen enough cars in my time to know that some designs don’t translate well to the screen. Perhaps seeing someone nearby informed the buyers to place an order.

Additionally, Ferrari has an enthusiastic and insensitive customer base. The company sold more than 13,000 cars last year, which is a lot for an automaker that specializes in six-figure vehicles. Ferrari buyers tend to have multiple models, so it’s also not hard to imagine 500 of them wanting a practical vehicle that’s also a Ferrari.

Is Luce worth the price of admission? Early reviews we suggest it drives like a Ferrari should. Plus, it has the horse on the hood. That seems to be all Ferrari needs to succeed.