- Pre-series version of pure-electric Battista hyper GT takes first drive on public roads in home city of Turin
- Automobili Pininfarina, the world''s first pure electric luxury carmaker, has established its Design, Engineering and Operations hub in Turin
- A network of Italian industrial partners has contributed to creation of Battista - Italy''s most powerful sports car – which enters production in summer 2021
- Momentous occasion was celebrated by Per Svantesson (CEO, Automobili Pininfarina), Chiara Appendino (Mayor, City of Turin), Paolo Pininfarina (Chairman, Pininfarina SpA) and Giacomo Danisi (CEO, DANISI Engineering)
TURIN, 17 MARCH 2021
The Automobili Pininfarina Battista has taken to the road for the first time in its home city of Turin, as the Italian-designed and handmade-pure-electric pre-series hyper GT was presented in dynamic form to leading representatives of Government, Industry and Education in Piemonte.
Automobili Pininfarina has its Design, Engineering and Manufacturing hub in Turin. In 2019 the company announced it would create no more than 150 examples of the 1,900PS Battista for clients worldwide, with deliveries beginning later this year. The pure, beautiful and rare hyper GT is the first in a range of innovative new cars from the world’s only pure-electric luxury carmaker.
The momentous occasion of Battista’s first road drive was marked by the gathering of key partners and associates of Automobili Pininfarina, including Chiara Appendino, the Mayor of the City of Turin, Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A., Guido Saracco, Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, and representatives from the technology development partner, DANISI Engineering, with the brand recognising its potential to inspire future Design and Engineering talent in the Piemonte region.
Per Svantesson, Chief Executive Officer, Automobili Pininfarina, said: “Automobili Pininfarina is proud to have its heart in the city of Turin. Since we launched our brand and Battista in 2019, we have established a brilliant team of designers, engineers and manufacturing specialists in the region. We firmly believe that by combining exceptional design with clean, pure-electric technology in luxury cars, we are unlocking a golden opportunity for Italy to strengthen its formidable reputation as the world leader in sports car creation.”
Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina SpA, remarked: “Battista is a dedication to the vision of my grandfather, who would applaud this masterpiece of design and engineering innovation because it embraces the technology of the future, with no compromise to Pininfarina principles. To see Battista driving in Torino is a special moment – this hyper GT is alive and it is a beautiful symbol of Italian innovation.”
The homecoming drive along the streets of the Italian city follows the completion of initial high-speed development testing at the Nardò Technical Center, where Automobili Pininfarina’s experienced test drivers, including ex Formula One and Formula E driver Nick Heidfeld, put the Battista through its paces. The programme remains on schedule, despite the challenges posed by current global events.
Chiara Appendino, Mayor of the City of Turin, said: “We are happy we could meet the CEO of Automobili Pininfarina – Per Svantesson – and the Chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A. – Paolo Pininfarina – to discuss the development prospects of the sector on our territory and welcome the new Battista, for the first time on the road in our city. The car, fully designed and realized in Turin, represents a running laboratory, and once again our city proves that it knows how to design and implement highly innovative and future-oriented projects.”
Battista’s tour of the city was conducted in collaboration with its technology development partner, DANISI Engineering, and the Politecnico di Torino, who are currently working together on Turin City Lab project, a partnership that looks into future technologies such as autonomous driving and 5G in the region.
EDITOR''S NOTES
THE AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA BATTISTA (PRESS KIT LINK)
The Battista will be the most powerful car ever designed and built in Italy and it will deliver a level of performance that is unachievable today in any road-legal sports car featuring internal combustion engine technology. Faster than a current Formula 1 race car in its 0 -100 km/h sub-two second sprint, and with 1,900 hp and 2,340 Nm torque on tap, the Battista will combine extreme engineering and technology in a zero emissions package. The Battista’s 120 kWh battery provides power to four electric motors – one at each wheel – with a combined WLTP range of up to 476 km (296 miles), US EPA combined: 300 miles on a single charge. No more than 150 examples of Battista will be individually hand-crafted at the Battista Atelier in Cambiano, Italy.
ABOUT AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA
Automobili Pininfarina is based in operational headquarters in Munich, Germany, with a team of experienced automotive executives from luxury and premium car brands. Designed, engineered, and produced by hand in Italy, the Battista hyper GT and all future models will be sold in all major global markets under the brand name Pininfarina. The new company aims to be the most desired, sustainable luxury car brand in the world.
The company is a 100 per cent Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd investment.
PININFARINA SPA
The Battista has been designed and co-developed by Automobili Pininfarina and Pininfarina SpA. The 150 examples will be individually hand-crafted at the Pininfarina SpA atelier in Cambiano, where dedicated resources and talented people realize unique models or very small runs. In the Battista project, Pininfarina was able to express its unique and consolidated skills in design, development and coach-building of limited series, particularly in the field of high-performance cars, putting them at the service of the client Automobili Pininfarina.
