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Pininfarina may trace its roots back to 1930, not long after Battista “Pinin” Farina left his job at his brother’s coachbuilding business, Stabilimenti Farina, to found his own, Carrozzeria Pinin Farina. But despite such a long history, Automobili Pininfarina claims to be the world’s newest car brand, with a mission to produce sustainable luxury vehicles starting in 2020.
Toward that end, the company said it will show private clients its all-electric ultra-luxury hypercar, the PFO (codename), during Monterey Car Week, has released a teaser image of that vehicle, and has identified key members of its management team.
The company said the car will accelerate to 62 mph in 2 seconds, reach 186 mph (300 km/h) in 12 seconds, have a top speed of 250 mph and a range of 310 miles.
“Our first car, codenamed PFO, will define us by its looks, performance and respectful integration of the Pininfarina heritage,” said Automobili Pininfarina chief executive officer Michael Perschke.
The company said Perschke will outline the company’s business and product strategy for sustainable, luxury electric vehicles with prospective clients, retailer partners and the media in a presentation in New York. The date for such an event was not revealed.
Automobili Pininfarina itself is a venture between Pininfarina SpA, the Italian design company, and its owner, the Mahindra Group. Automobili Pininfarina will be based in Munich, Germany.
“Automobili Pininfarina is a pioneering new business created to service the most discerning clients in the world,” Perschke was quoted in the company’s news release. “ Our product portfolio will launch with an innovative, zero-emissions hypercar that represents the progression we aim to make at the pinnacle of the luxury and sports car market.”
“With ongoing technical collaboration with the multi-race winning Mahindra Racing Formula E team, Michael Perschke and the ambitious new Automobili Pininfarina management team will deliver a range of vehicles offering design purity, emotional appeal and innovative EV technology to customers worldwide,” the company said. “In less than two years, Perschke and his team will present the first customer with a car of unmatched performance and unprecedented heritage.
“We have attracted some of the best automotive industry talent from all corners of the globe,” Perschke added.
In addition to Perschke, who has more than 20 years of experience as an automotive company executive, key managers and board members include:
- Per Svantesson, chief operating officer and a veteran of Volvo, Audi and Valeo;
- Dan Connell, chief brand officer joining from Jaguar Land Rover after working at Volkwagen, Mini and McLaren;
- Luca Borgogno, design director, one of Pininfarina’s lead designers for 14 years and also formerly the head of Lamborghini’s Turin design studio;
- Marcus Kobach, sales director and formerly of Bugatti and McLaren;
- Paolo Dellacha, product and platform director and formerly an engineer with Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo;
- Anika Rose, human resources director and formerly of Kongsberg Automotive, a major automotive parts supplier.
Sounds like the Pininfarina cats learned marketing from Elon Musk. Or maybe Der Trümpenfüerer himself.
I’d love to see sustainable all electric cars as they describe, but what they’re advertising (hyping?) is so far past state of the art, I’m not going to hold my breath. VW invested God knows how much to get the Pike’s Peak record, and I’d be willing to bet that their purpose built racer couldn’t meet Pininfarina’s boast. Onwards, brave future- I’m still waiting for my flying car; Moser? GE? Boeing? Anybody?