Pininfarina Creates Design For Chinese Startup’s EV

TURIN – Pininfarina announces it will display a new design work for Hybrid Kinetic Group, a luxury all-electric Grand Turismo called the HK GT, at next month’s Geneva auto show.

The ʼ18 HK GT, a 2-door, 4-seat coupe, is the fourth concept car conceived by the Italian design studio for Hybrid Kinetic Group, a startup high-tech brand based in Hong Kong which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange but is not known for any industrial activity.

Last year the two partners announced a four-year agreement calling for a $50 million investment in the design and development of a range of hybrid vehicles. They introduced the H600 luxury sedan at the Geneva auto show in March 2017.

At the Shanghai Motor Show a few months later they exhibited two additional show models: the 5-seater K550 and 7-seater K750 SUVs.

“With the HK GT, Pininfarina develops a classic architecture of the Italian automobile tradition, the Gran Turismo, while continuing to refine the identity and the formal language of the Hybrid Kinetic brand,” company President Paolo Pininfarina says.

The new project also aims at offering advanced zero-emissions technology mated to the modern classic style with environmental sustainability in mind.

Another key feature of the HK GT is its electric powertrain comprising a sophisticated battery pack, electric motors, electronic controller and range extender.

Separately, Pininfarina CEO Silvio Angori announces his company has signed a contract for the design and development of two cars with Vietnamese automaker VinFast Trading and Production. Following the route taken by Chinese manufacturers in recent years, the newcomer will focus on a new family sedan and SUV.

The two models to be developed by Pininfarina won the most votes from Vietnamese consumers in a referendum VinFast launched in October 2017.

After unveiling 20 concepts submitted by world-famous design houses including Pininfarina, Vinfast asked customers to vote which they thought were both “in line with world trends” and fit with “Vietnamese tastes and demand.”

“Nearly 62,000 participants voted in the contest,” says Quang Viet Nguyen, vice president of Vinfast parent company Vingroup. “The Sedan and SUV designs that collected the most votes were the two that Pininfarina will develop. The direct involvement of Pininfarina, one of the world’s biggest design brands, is expected to bring modern beauty while retaining Vietnamese identity to the first two VinFast car models.”

VinFast says it plans to launch its first car in September 2019 and to produce 500,000 vehicles in Vietnam by 2025.