Few electric debuts arrive with this much aesthetic baggage. The debut of the Ferrari Luce turned out to be more controversial than expected, and surprisingly, the noise is louder about its styling than its all-electric powertrain. The car looks nothing like any Ferrari before it, which got us wondering how it would hold up wearing someone else’s emblem.

By now most of the world knows the Luce was shaped with help from LoveFrom, the studio led by former Apple designer Jony Ive. That explains the gulf between this car and anything Flavio Manzoni’s Ferrari Centro Stile team has produced before.

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Of course, this sudden break with tradition was completely intentional. After all, Ferrari doesn’t plan on becoming an EV-only brand anytime soon, meaning that the pioneer model had the privilege of carving its own path. With that out of the way, and since the internet is never short on critics, let’s get on with the face swapping.

At first glance, the Luce’s face brought to mind the 2008 Pininfarina Sintesi concept, a shape that would have suited a four-door Ferrari rather well. A second look made the resemblance to the Jeep Avenger headlights impossible to unsee.

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The uncanny resemblance inspired our rendering of the Jeep Luce. In reality, all we had to do was to add the illuminated seven-slot grille and paint the bodywork in the vibrant Hawaii color from the new Compass. A lift kit would have sealed the illusion, but we will leave that to the imagination.

The next brand that inevitably comes to mind was Dodge, as the see-through grille of the Ferrari is similar in theory to the nose of the electric Charger Daytona.

The Luce’s short nose is hardly muscle-car territory, but it sits surprisingly well with the Charger’s full-width headlights and illuminated emblem. The deep Redeye paint from Dodge’s palette also plays nicely off the glossy black panels of the electric Ferrari.

Next up, a Japanese brand known for the clean lines of its concept work. Honda has recently axed a long list of high-profile EV projects, but it was hard to resist picturing the Luce with the ‘H’ emblem pinned to its nose.

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However, since this is a performance model, we decided to give it the Type R treatment, with a sharper carbon fiber aero kit and red bucket seats. Ironically, the Ferrari Luce doesn’t look as exotic as the cancelled Honda 0 Sedan.

The next and final stop in our face swapping journey is the Far East. Chances are that one of the countless automakers in China will copy the styling features of the electric Ferrari and bring something similar into production before the first examples come out of the Maranello factory.

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Given the loose Apple connection and the way the Luce reads more like a tech product than a supercar, Xiaomi was the natural pick. The Lighting Yellow paint and silver stripes from the Porsche-inspired Xiaomi SU7 Ultra came first, followed by a set of Mi emblems.

In order to make a more convincing case for a Chinese EV, we added a roof-mounted Lidar sensor and several carbon fiber aero add-ons. Still, we didn’t need to touch Ferrari’s own aerodynamic wheels inspired by turbines that already come with yellow accents.

We will close out with a bonus, the rebadge a fair number of readers have already asked for. Turn the Luce into the Apple iCar that never made it to market. “Project Titan” was officially canceled in February 2024, having burned through billions in design and research chasing an autonomous, paradigm-shifting EV.

By outsourcing the Luce’s aesthetics to LoveFrom, Ferrari might have given former Apple design chief Jony Ive the platform to express at least a part of the spirit of the ambitious project by the tech giant. . For our imaginary take, the changes were minimal, an Apple logo on the nose and side gills, disc-style alloys, and a Cosmic Orange finish borrowed from the latest iPhone.

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Jeep unveiled the design of the facelifted Avenger last month and now they’ve released full details about the Euro-spec model. It sports revised styling, an upgraded cabin, and a new special edition.

Since we’ve already seen the model before, we’ll briefly mention it features a new grille that echoes the one found on the Compass. It’s a tad more modern and features illumination on higher-end variants.

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Designers also gave the crossover new bumpers and a revised front fascia. They’re joined by new LED matrix headlights as well as restyled 17- and 18-inch wheels, which sport center caps with a stylized Willy’s MB.

Other highlights include a revised color palette that includes two new hues known as Forest and Bamboo. Jeep also said the facelifted crossover offers “optimized” approach, departure, and breakover angles of up to 22°, 35°, and 21°, respectively.

A More Comfortable Cabin

Since the interior was knocked for being a little low-rent, Jeep decided to improve things by adding a padded lower dashboard and new soft-touch materials on the door panels. Altitude and Summit trims gain fancier cloth and vinyl upholstery, while the 4xe version now offers “new, washable and highly durable green interiors.”

Elsewhere, the Selec-Terrain controller sports a rubber-coated lever and a red base. The model also gains an additional front camera, which allows for a 360° surround view system.

New And Familiar Powertrains

Under the hood, there’s a new turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that produces 99 hp (74 kW / 101 PS) and 151 hp (205 Nm) of torque. Jeep said the mill has a new engine block, pistons, and rings as well as a high‑pressure direct injection system and new valve timing that reduces internal friction. It’s paired to a six-speed manual transmission.

Customers can also get a 108 hp (81 kW / 110 PS) hybrid, which is connected to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with an integrated electric motor. The latter is powered by a 0.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, which enables the crossover to travel up to 0.6 miles (1 km) on electricity alone at speeds under 19 mph (30 km/h).

The Avenger 4xe has all-wheel drive thanks to a rear-mounted electric motor. This setup gives the car a combined output of 143 hp (107 kW / 145 PS).

Last but not least, there’s a fully electric Avenger with a 54 kWh battery pack and a 154 hp (115 kW / 156 PS) motor. It provides a WLTP range of up to 249 miles (400 km), although the DC fast charging capability of 100 kW is pretty underwhelming.

New 85th Anniversary Edition

Besides the standard model, Jeep announced a new 85th Anniversary Edition. It’s based on the Altitude or Upland trim, and is distinguished by special fender badging as well as golden accents on the bumpers and 18-inch wheels. The model also comes standard with an illuminated grille, while 4xe variants add a hood decal.

The changes continue inside, where buyers will find Tartan seats with gold stitching as well as “85” logos on the backrests. The special edition also has a multi-colored ambient lighting system and an 85 logo on the center console.

Jeep is preparing a mid-cycle update for its smallest SUV in Europe, arriving barely three years after launch. The facelifted Avenger has surfaced in a low-lit teaser, offering a first look at the latest interpretation of the brand’s seven-slot grille.

Jeep calls the revised grille a breakthrough, although it reads as a close relative of what is already on the newer Compass. The slots keep the Avenger’s chamfered profile, now with slimmer separations and no visible bezels, which cleans up the look without straying far from the original idea.

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The main talking point is the addition of seven LEDs, echoing the Compass. These extend the Avenger’s slim daytime running lights, positioned above the primary headlamp units. For those wondering, the first Jeep to feature an illuminated grille was the Grand Wagoneer Concept from 2022.

Beyond the revised seven-slot treatment, the Avenger is likely to receive updated front and rear bumpers, along with fresh color choices and new alloy wheel designs. The roof rails shown in the teaser point to the Avenger 4xe The North Face special edition, although they could just as easily filter through to other trims in the facelifted range.

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Jeep has said little about cabin changes. Even so, heavily camouflaged dashboards on test prototypes suggest the digital cockpit may be due an update. There is also scope for improved material quality, with softer finishes potentially replacing some of the harder plastics used in the current model.

We don’t expect big changes under the skin, as the Avenger is already available with ICE, mild-hybrid, and fully electric powertrain options from the Stellantis parts bin. The current lineup is crowned by an all-wheel-drive variant (mild-hybrid 4xe) featuring dual electric motors and a turbo 1.2-liter gasoline engine.

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The Avenger is also set to expand beyond Europe, with a South American launch planned. Production will begin later this year at the Porto Real plant in Brazil.

It remains unclear whether the Brazilian-market model will adopt the same visual updates as the facelifted European version, which is built in Tychy, Poland. Either way, a region-specific powertrain is expected, tailored to local requirements rather than simply mirroring the European setup.