Ferrari marketing boss quits after intense backlash over electric car

Enrico Galliera has quit his role as chief marketing and commercial officer of Ferrari weeks after a backlash over the launch of the automaker’s first-ever electric car, the Luce. The firm announced this week that Galliera would leave the role he occupied for 16 years and will be replaced by Massimiliano Di Silvestre, former BMW Italy head in July. His role involved managing which clients could purchase the luxury car maker’s highly sought-after vehicles. Since taking the role in 2010, Galliera has been involved in many of the firm’s key events. Read also:Ferrari unveils first fully electric car worth $640,000 Ferrari thanked Galliera for his service and said he had decided to embark on a new chapter in his professional journey, a decision shared with the company some time ago. The Luce was heavily criticised when it was unveiled in May, which led to the 8 percent of the company’s shares, the day after the car was launched. Its look, the brain-child of iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive, was criticised by Matteo Salvini, the company’s former chairman, and Italy’s deputy prime minister and transport minister. LaFerrari, Ferrari’s first production hybrid hypercar, which combines a petrol engine and an electric motor, was launched in 2013. In 2015, the firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange and in Milan the following year. However, the launch of the $640,000 (£485,552) Luce spawned a host of internet memes and negative reactions. Read also:Ferrari shares rebound to pre-launch levels after Luce concerns Benedetto Vigna, chief executive of Ferrari, said that Galliera has played a significant role in the company’s growth and in strengthening the Ferrari brand worldwide. “He has the gratitude of the entire Ferrari team and my personal best wishes for the future,” Vigna said. Galliera declined to add any further comment to the statement from Ferrari.