- Automobili Pininfarina is set to take the wraps off its new electric hypercar concept at next week's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
- Currently codenamed PF-Zero, it will be the first production car branded as Pininfarina from the renowned Italian design house. A total of 150 examples will be produced and sold globally after the production-spec model launches in 2020. The model will be the brand’s halo product. It will be followed by several all-electric models that are a part of Automobili Pininfarina's product plan.
- Along with confirming the model’s Pebble Beach debut, the company has also released sketches of the PF-Zero's interior, which show a minimalist and driver-focused layout for the two-seat hypercar.
- Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra, which owns Pininfarina, previously said that the hypercar will draw “upon the pedigree and design vocabulary of the Pininfarina aesthetic heritage" to "develop a rare collector’s item that only a handful of connoisseurs will ever own".
- He said that the PF-Zero will "be an innovative and pioneering product powered by high technology" and combine "power, beauty and high-end EV technology".
- A source said that the Pininfarina brand will be given an initial investment of $100 million (about Rs 703 crore) from Mahindra to fund the creation of its model range.
- Automobili Pininfarina's CEO, Michael Perschke, has more than 25 years of industry experience. He is joined at the helm by chief operating officer Per Svantesson, who has previously worked at Volvo.
- “Establishing Automobili Pininfarina as a leading sustainable luxury brand is our strategic vision and will be a dream come true," said Perschke. "It will combine 88 years of iconic design heritage with leading-edge electric vehicle competence of the Mahindra group and Mahindra Formula E racing. It’s a powerful combination."
- Mahindra intends to invest a total of about £358m (about Rs 3,205 crore) into Automobili Pininfarina over five years. The new brand will work independently of its parent’s EV division, Mahindra Electric, with operations based in Europe.
