Pininfarina names its electric luxury car as Battista

Luxury electric vehicles brand Automobili Pininfarina, which is a part of Mahindra Group, Tuesday said it has named its upcoming luxury electric vehicle as Battista.

Named after Battista 'Pinin' Farina, the founder of the Carrozzeria Pininfarina coach building company that he started in 1930, the all-electric hypercar will be designed and hand-built in very limited numbers at Pininfarina SpA.

"This is genuinely a dream come true. My grandfather always had the vision that one day there would be a standalone range of Pininfarina-branded cars. This hypercar will boast world-beating performance, technology innovation and of course elegant styling," Pininfarina SpA Chairman Paolo Pininfarina said in a statement.

Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra said: "We are really proud and grateful that Paolo and his family have allowed Battista's name to be given to what will be a beautiful, elegant and technologically game-changing car.

"That is so appropriate for a car branded Pininfarina as these are core elements that have defined Pininfarina's legendary automotive design for nearly 90 years. Now, we hope to respectfully work with that legacy and deliver a stunning car that is worthy of his name".

In 2015, M&M and its group firm Tech Mahindra had agreed to buy 76.06 per cent stake in the Italian car designer Pininfarina SpA for 25.3 million euros through a special purpose vehicle (SPV).

Battista has the potential to accelerate to 62?mph in less than two seconds, faster than a Formula 1 car, and break the 250 mph top speed barrier ? all with a potential zero emissions range of over 300 miles.

Based out of Europe, Automobili Pininfarina combines its automotive design prowess with Mahindra's growing electric vehicle (EV) expertise, gained from participation in the Formula E electric racing car championship.

The company plans to design, engineer and manufacture high technology, extreme performance, luxury electric vehicles for global customers.

Automobili Pininfarina plans to manufacture around 150 Battista units, which will be available from late 2020 at a price estimated between USD 2 million and USD 2.5 million.