Mahindra Taps Pininfarina for Electric Hypercar

Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra is entering the bespoke luxury electric-vehicle market with its subsidiary, the premium Italian design house Pininfarina.

Making the announcement ahead of the Formula E Rome ePrix, Mahindra & Mahindra, part of the Mahindra Group conglomerate, claims the venture will design, engineer and manufacture technologically innovative, extreme-performance luxury EVs for global customers.

The move combines Pininfarina’s long history of automotive design with Mahindra’s EV expertise gained from its participation in the Formula E electric-racing-car championship. Automobili Pininfarina plans to launch its first model, a Pininfarina-badged electric hypercar, in 2020.

The first vehicle will be a Grand Lusso with Level 3 autonomy capable of hitting 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standing start in less than two seconds, while 186 mph (300 km/h) will be achieved in 12 seconds on the way to a top speed exceeding 248 mph (400 km/h).

The manufacturer says the hypercar’s range will be more than 310 miles (500 km) on a single charge, and it will wear the Pininfarina hood badge. Pricing is expected to be under $2.5 million.

Automobili Pininfarina will be led by CEO Michael Perschke, who brings with him more than 25 years of experience with premium German brands at headquarters director-level and in various market roles. He was managing director of Audi in India and a member of the management board of Volkswagen Group Sales India from 2010 to 2013.

Perschke will be joined by chief operating officer Per Svantesson, whose experience includes working with the Volvo Group and National Electric Vehicle Sweden.

“Italy’s renowned design expertise produces objects of true beauty and unique style,” Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra says. “Drawing upon the pedigree and design vocabulary of the Pininfarina aesthetic heritage, we will develop a rare collector’s item that only a handful of connoisseurs will ever own. It will be an innovative and pioneering product powered by high technology.

“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.”