Italian design house Pininfarina plans to produce a sports EV model in a bid to aid parent company Mahindra’s electric agenda.
The Indian company is actively involved in the Formula E championship and wants Pininfarina to transfer some of the advanced technology used there into the road, wrapped under an attractive design, Autocar reports.
“Design plays a critical part in designing vehicles in such a way that they are robust yet pollute the least while giving you the thrill that people want in vehicles,” said Pravin Shah, Mahindra’s automotive boss.
Shah also said that buying the famous Italian design house will help the company differentiate itself within the automotive industry. Mahindra hopes to produce “a unique business proposition in the area of automobiles, in the area of racing, in the area of changing design perceptions”.
Chairman Anand Mahindra said that design is “critical to the industry” with the company also planning to offer a variety of powertrains, citing the H2 Speed concept as an example of their future wide-ranging approach.
“Pininfarina is an iconic brand,” he said. “Mahindra already does critical design and engineering work for manufacturers. We want to provide an ‘art to part’ service, and we can give car makers Pininfarina design as a starting point. It’s a disruptive proposition.”
Note: Pininfarina H2 Speed Concept pictured
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