Mercedes 1-Ferrari 0...or was it?

Let's start with the less controversial one first. Mercedes-Benz finally rolled out the AMG GT. A monster four door Coupe with over 1.100 horses and a charging speed of 600 kw. I must say, the AMG crowd has done its homework. There is barely any blowback that this vehicle is fully electric. Honestly, why would it? With the right performance packages ticked during ordering, this car can reach speeds of 300 km/h using three motors. Two at the back and one at the front. Getting to 100 km/h will only take a bit over 2 seconds. And if you have been pushing it hard, you shouldn't be punished with enormous waiting times as the car can absorb energy fast enough to limit you to a bathroom break or a quick espresso, but not both! The Germans are eager to point out that their technology is coming straight from Formula 1 into this car. The 106 kwh battery might not be able to reach the enormous charging power that BYD does, but it should last you a lifetime as it is extremely performance oriented with individual cooling per cell.

If AMG succeeded in preparing the world for what was coming with prototype reveals and world record beating challenges, the Italians from Ferrari did no such thing. The presentation of the Luce blew up the internet and social media. From a technical perspective the two cars are a close match though. A sub 3 second sprint to 100 km/h with a top over over 300 km/h. The Ferrari even outdoes the MB with four electric motors, one powering each wheel, which should allow for some serious handling. From a purely electrical perspective the car has a bigger battery with 122 kwh, but charges at a pedestrian 350 kw max. While not bad, I'm not sure the average driver will appreciate that some specs are on par with a car like the Mercedes CLA of which more are produced every week than the Luce will reach over its entire lifetime.

So how do both cars stack up? Let's get one thing out of the way first. You need some serious coin to put any one of these two on your driveway, but that doesn't mean they are in the same league. Where you can get the GT for around € 200 K, you need to have more than half a million lying around for the Ferrari. For the rational mind the decision is then easily taken, why pay twice the money for less performance, both on the road and at the charging station? Except, cars like these aren't bought with your brain but with your heart. Some spouses might even argue it is bought when thinking with other body parts but let's keep things civilized. Don't for a second believe that the folks in Maranello didn't know their new baby would shock the world. My expectation is that this is exactly what they were looking for! There isn't a publicity budget in the world that could have created the attention that they got. And commercially the Luce has been a hit already, production is rumored to be sold out into 2028. So talk and post negative comments about it all you want, they are laughing all the way to the bank.