Automobili Pininfarina is poised to make the leap from a single-model, ultra-niche manufacturer to a more established purveyor of high-end automobiles. Set up as a spin-off from the fabulously success Pininfarina design studio, the car-making division began with the Battista electric hypercar and its closely related sibling, the limited edition B95 Spider.
The Battista is a true statement of intent, both in terms of performance (it’s the most powerful Italian production car ever made) and exclusivity, with just 150 examples planned. These include special limited editions, such as the one-off Battista Reversario and the Battista Edizione Nino Farina.
Creating an SUV-adjacent vehicle has been a longstanding plan for the company, which previewed these ideas with the Pura Vision Concept, a dramatic ‘Luxury Utility Vehicle’. Expected to be priced lower than the circa-€2m Battista, the production version of the Pura Vision will remain in the luxury arena in terms of quality and rarity.
We sat down with Paolo Dellachà, CEO of Automobili Pininfarina, to discuss the company’s next moves.
In the driving seat with Paolo Dellachà, CEO of Automobili Pininfarina
Wallpaper* How is the company’s strategy panning out, six years after Automobili Pininfarina was founded?
Paolo Dellachà: It’s been quite a long journey, as is with every start-up, but our overall structure was solid right from the beginning for two reasons. One, the power of the brand. We are leveraging the partnership with our sister company, as well as Rimac’s electric technology, and we have our parent company, Mahindra, a strong should with access to many synergies. It provides software, for example, the kind of support that every car maker needs. In a hypercar, that’s even more complex.
W*: How was the brand positioned in the luxury sector from the outset?
PD: Our journey involved really engaging with a network of dealers and clients. We had to be fully compliant with the demands of the luxury segment right from the start. This means developing one-to-one relationships with our clients, their needs, tastes and wishes.
W*: Who are your customers?
PD: People come to us in two ways, either through our dealers, or because they’re collectors of other Pininfarina-designed cars. The first thing we want to do is provide them with the extreme driving experience of a 2,000-horsepower sports car. So we give them a very extensive test drive, because Battista can be very gentle but also very brutal. They leave the test with a real understanding of how we combine performance and refinement.
The other point is understanding the design. Pininfarina has a good reputation for designing cars, but we also want potential customers to understand how a B95 or a Battista could be made according to their tastes.
W*: Will you continue to offer the opportunity to create one-off cars?
PD: I think that would be possible. It’s the combination of design, technology and customisation that comes together to add value. This is very important for collectors. Of course, our ambition is for them to enjoy the car, but we also need to preserve the collectible value.
W*: Do customers use these cars or just keep them in their collections?
PD: Pure collectors drive the car very rarely, admittedly. Others use the Battista almost on a daily basis. It’s a very comfortable car, even in the city. We ensured it could have a very wide spectrum of use.
W*: So what are the plans for future products?
PD: We want to stay in the luxury sector and stay exclusive. [Our next car] will be limited volume – 100s, rather than 1,000s – but it will also be a different type of product, with more seats and more comfort. It won’t be an SUV – we want to establish a new category.
Pininfarina has designed beautiful grand tourers in the past. The next product has to repeat that, but Pininfarina was always innovative, even provocative. It’s important to design something that will stay beautiful for decades – it’s all about proportion, purity of line, quality of light. For a GT, sporting and elegance are part of the brief.
W*: Will it be an electric car, like the Battista?
PD: We’re very much looking into more than one possibility [for the powertrain]. The question is, what do customers want? Many people thought electrification would be [adopted] faster. For Battista, it was an easier choice in a way – from day one we wanted to be the most powerful road-legal Italian car. Electric was and still is the mandatory choice.
W*: How did customers react to the Pura Vision Concept?
PD: It was very positive. We revealed the car at the 2023 Monterey Car Week, as well as some private showcases beforehand. In terms of the Pura’s design DNA, it will be mostly applied to the new product. We are trying to combine utility with a stunning look – it is a matter of balance.
W*: What’s the expected timescale for production? Presumably, Battista’s 150-unit run will be finished by then, so are plans to replace that as well?
PD: Let me put it this way. While we aim to bring the new car to market by 2027, in 2030 it will be our company’s 100th birthday. So we will do something special. We are also very proud of the Red Dot Design Award. Our levels of customer satisfaction have been excellent from day one – you need this strong foundation to build on in the future.
