Pininfarina made a name for itself designing (and in some cases even building) sporty two-door coupes and convertibles for European automakers, with high-revving engines and sonorous exhaust notes. But the times, sang Dylan, they are a-changing.
These days Pininfarina is owned by an Indian automaker, and takes a big part of its business from up-and-coming Chinese manufacturers keen to leverage the design firm’s name and skills. And this is the latest.
Called the H600, this rather sleek sedan was designed for the Hybrid Kinetic Group based out of Hong Kong. Unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the H600 is about the size of a long-wheelbase Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series, and to our eye looks at least as good – especially in this warm shade of metallic grey and with its pillarless doors opening outwards.
We have a little more trouble swallowing the spec sheet, though. Apparently HKG envisions using an unspecified array of electric motors with a micro-turbine range-extender – a setup similar to what Jaguar envisioned for the C-X75 supercar concept, but couldn’t get to work… at least, not in a cost-effective manner.
According to the documentation, the powertrain would offer in excess of 800 horsepower, and propel the big sedan to 62 in 2.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 155 miles per hour. In other words, it would be as potent as what Mercedes has in store for its four-door AMG GT Concept – only without Daimler’s considerable engineering expertise to actually make it happen. Color us skeptical, then… but it sure does look nice.
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