Pininfarina launches luxury electric car brand

Pininfarina has long designed some of the most gorgeous cars in the world for other brands, but now it’s setting out to create its own cars. Electric cars, that is.

The premium brand will be known as Automobili Pininfarina, with its own badge to appear on cars.

In fact, it already has a couple of recent concepts to work from as a starting point.

The H2 Speed is one, which is actually a Hydrogen race car of which 12 will be built for track use only.

But Automobili Pininfarina hints at another big project, an electric hypercar due in 2020 with performance rumoured to rival that of a Bugatti Chiron.

Automobili Pininfarina will be headed up by former Audi global sales strategy director Michael Perschke.

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Above: 2018 Pininfarina HK GT Concept

"Establishing Automobili Pininfarina as a leading sustainable luxury brand is our strategic vision and will be a dream come true,” Perschke says.

“It will combine 88 years of iconic design heritage with leading edge electric vehicle competence of the Mahindra Group and Mahindra Formula E racing.

“It's a powerful combination. I am honoured to lead Automobili Pininfarina and our ambition is to make it a respected and desirable brand recognized by connoisseurs who value design heritage, substance and sustainable high performance EV technology."

Pininfarina SpA chair Paolo Pininfarina says this evolution of the brand has been a long time coming.

"We are pleased to welcome the new company, Automobili Pininfarina which represents an additional client for Pininfarina SpA, joining the list of the many prestigious car makers for which we will be designing cars in the future.

“This project helps me and my family to realize my grandfather's dream of seeing outstanding innovative cars solely branded Pininfarina on the roads"

Anand Mahindra, Chairperson of Mahindra, which owns the Pininfarina Group, says “the Mahindra Group has bet big on electric vehicles.”

“They are the future, and when power, beauty and high end EV technology come together in one car — that will be the perfect luxury vehicle, that will give car lovers the freedom to roam without impacting the planet adversely."