Pininfarina is a name that automotive purists would recognise instantly for some of its legendary designs of Ferraris, Fiats, Maseratis, Alfa Romeos and Peugeots. However, the design-house has always had a dream of building its own hypercar someday.
And that's where India's Mahindra Group comes in. In 2015, Mahindra picked up the debt-ridden car design firm in a deal worth about 168 million euros (Rs 1,352 crore). Not only did this give the design house a fresh lease of life, but the latest announcement is that it will be building its first electric hypercar by 2020 to rival the Bugatti Chirons of the world.
Mahindra announced the launch of its high performance electric vehicle brand – Automobili Pininfarina – in Rome on the eve of the Formula E series, where Mahindra Racing is taking part. This brand will have a range of electric-powered ultra-luxury SUVs and cars.
Michael Perschke, formerly the head of Audi India, will be heading this new company. Pininfarina Spa will continue to design cars, while Automobili Pininfarina will focus on building high-end electric hypercars.
The first car that the company will work on will be an electric hypercar that can go from 0-300 kmph in under 12 seconds, while 0-100 kmph will come up in just 2 seconds. That's seriously fast. Quite like the Rimac C2.
Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra is in Rome for the announcement and tweeted this photo of a legendary Pininfarina prototype earlier in the day. It's the Pininfarina Sigma from 1969, shown at the Geneva Motor Show that year. It was built as a concept with parts from Ferrari to showcase safety in Formula racing.
The new electric hypercar will share some underpinnings with the Rimac as well, according to reports. And it will likely cost about 2 million euros (Rs 16 crore). Only about 100 units of the hypercar will be built. Mahindra is said to have invested about $100 million in this new company.
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