Ferrari draws a line at self driving and protects the emotion born behind the wheel

Ferrari consciously says no to autonomy

According to Benedetto Vigna, Ferrari will not make fully autonomous cars because a customer buys a Ferrari to drive it, not to let chips have all the fun. In an interview with EV Central, Vigna said Ferrari wants to leave the enjoyment to the human being, not the computer.

This was not a throwaway line. It forms part of Ferrari’s official technology strategy. Back at its 2022 Capital Markets Day, Ferrari wrote that it would limit autonomy in its cars to Level 2 and Level 2+, precisely to preserve the emotions intended for the driver. In other words, adaptive cruise control, lane assistance and other support systems can live happily in Maranello. The car, though, must not take the main role away from the person at the wheel.

Level 3 suits a luxury saloon, but not necessarily a Ferrari

Some European rivals are moving in the opposite direction. Mercedes Benz Drive Pilot gained approval in Germany for Level 3 conditional automated driving at speeds of up to 95 km/h, while BMW offered its Personal Pilot L3 system in the 7 Series at speeds of up to 60 km/h. In those cars, the technology serves the idea of comfort. Under certain conditions, in traffic or on the motorway, the driver can direct attention elsewhere.

The same solution would work against Ferrari’s brand logic. A 296 GTB, 12Cilindri or SF90 does not sell time back for office work. It sells tension, sound, braking points and throttle precision. An S Class lets the driver rest. A Ferrari is meant to keep them awake. That difference explains why Maranello does not see the absence of Level 3 as a technological failure, but as a decision about identity.

Electrification does not mean giving up driving

Vigna’s message matters even more as Ferrari expands its powertrain mix. According to Reuters, Vigna recently defended the new electric Luce, priced from around €550,000, stressing that it will join the range rather than replace petrol and hybrid models. Ferrari showed the car to 1600 clients, and Vigna said it attracted interest from both existing customers and new buyers.

Ferrari’s 2030 strategy follows the same line in numbers. By 2030, the model range should be made up of roughly 40 per cent combustion engine cars, 40 per cent hybrids and 20 per cent electric cars. Ferrari, then, is not choosing one technology at the expense of another. It is keeping three powertrain families alive at once.

Strategic parts stay in Maranello

Ferrari’s resistance to autonomy does not mean fear of technology. Vigna himself came from the semiconductor world, and in his Reuters interview he stressed that Ferrari keeps strategic components under its own control. The company uses suppliers for non critical parts, but it does not buy platforms or critical systems from outside.

That distinction matters. Ferrari is not saying software, sensors or electric motors are unimportant. It is saying they must serve handling, response and feel. An autonomous system optimises risk and smoothness. Ferrari optimises pulse.

Why this decision matters globally

The car industry is now splitting in two. One camp is building the car as a service, where the occupant slowly becomes a passenger. The other is defending the car as a mechanical and emotional experience. Ferrari deliberately belongs to the second camp, even while it uses electric motors, batteries and ever more complex software.

That may prove commercially smart. Full autonomy demands vast development spending, regulatory risk and large scale use. Ferrari sells a limited number of expensive cars to customers for whom driving is a privilege, not a dull obligation. For Maranello, Level 4 or Level 5 self driving would therefore be an expensive way to remove the very reason a customer bought the car in the first place.

Technical brief

Ferrari will keep self driving capability at Level 2 and Level 2+ to avoid losing the driver experience.

Benedetto Vigna confirmed that Ferrari will not build fully autonomous cars.

Ferrari will continue with driver assistance systems, but will not move towards Level 3 autonomy or beyond.

By 2030, Ferrari expects its range to consist of about 40 per cent combustion engine cars, 40 per cent hybrids and 20 per cent electric cars.

European rivals such as Mercedes Benz and BMW already offer Level 3 systems in luxury models, but Ferrari sees that as a different kind of promise to a different kind of customer.