Mahindra Owned Pininfarina Ventures Into Electric Vehicles

Iconic car designer Pininfarina to now manufacture electric vehicles! The Mahindra owned design firm has launched its EV brand Automobili Pininfarina with the aim to manufacture luxury, high performance and high technology electric vehicles. The Italian design firm has been pioneering car design over the past 88 years has produced numerous iconic cars. The Mahindra Group acquired Pininfarina in 2015 via its IT company – Tech Mahindra. The story of Automobili Pininfarina is one of fulfilment. Batista Pininfarina, the famous Italian car designer had always dreamed of designing, engineering and manufacturing a car with the Pininfarina badge. Mahindra has been wanting a slice of the global EV market for quite a few years now. The creation of a start-up manufacturing EVs under the Pininfarina brand fulfils the dream for both parties.

   Automobili Pininfarina will be getting its first car to market by 2020. All cars which would be manufactured by Automobili Pininfarina will be designed and styled by Pininfarina, proudly sporting the Pininfarina badge. Croatian EV manufacturer Rimac has been roped in to deliver engines and powertrains for the Pininfarina cars. Rimac specializes in manufacturing electric high-performance cars. The Concept One, Rimac’s first car was the fastest production EV when launched. Rimac also works closely with Koenigsegg and Aston Martin-Red Bull racing team for developing electric battery and other powertrain components. The first car to be manufactured by Automobili Pininfarina would be a Bugatti Chiron rivalling hypercar. Though no official announcements have been made, reports suggest that the new car can reach 0-100 kmph in 2 seconds and 0-200 kmph in 12 seconds. There will be 3 other cars in the range including a Lamborghini Urus rival EV SUV. The cars sold by the new brand would be limited to a certain number of units – approx. 100 units. All cars sold by the brand will be equipped with autonomous driving technology. Pininfarina Automobili has revealed that their first car, slated to launch in 2020 would have a price tag of just under 2 million Euros (approx. INR 16 crores). Michael Perschke ex-Audi India head has been tasked with leading the new start-up. Mahindra can be rest assured of the new company being in good hands – Perschke was instrumental in making Audi overtake Mercedes & BMW in India.

   With the automobile world transitioning into alternative fuels and electric vehicles, Automobili Pininfarina adds a lot of excitement to the global EV industry. India’s largest SUV manufacturer has the vision and a proven track record to execute, hence in a very good position to make Automobili Pininfarina a very successful brand. With rivals the likes of Tesla, Nissan, BMW etc. Automobili Pininfarina is up against some stiff competition…the global EV market was always an exciting proposition, it just got more exciting! 

Jeep - Celebrating 75 Years Of Excellence

American car giant Jeep has had an illustrious history which has spanned 75 years. The SUV only manufacturer has been one of the most respected brands in the global automobile industry renowned for creating rugged, 4X4 cars more than capable of tackling any terrain effectively. Jacobus Spyker the Dutch company is credited with building the first 4X4 vehicle in 1902. However, it was Jeep who popularized the application of 4X4 cars in the real world capable of going anywhere. Jeep’s illustrious history began in 1941 during World War II. The US Army invited bids for light reconnaissance vehicle having 4X4 capability and weighing 1/4^th of a ton. Three US car companies submitted their bids – Bantam, Ford, Willys. This gave birth to the Willys Jeep – the Willys MB as it was popularly known at the time, quickly became the go-to car; in any terrain, combat area not only for the US Army but also the allied countries. The Willys MB was an innovation to battlefield mobility. Gone were the days when soldiers used horses, motorcycles with sidecars etc. to get from one place to another during combat situations. The versatility the MB offered was worth its weight in gold! Soldiers now had the capability to mount guns on the Jeep, convert their beloved Jeeps into ambulances amongst other applications. With the end of the war, Willys MB Jeep saw a transition from combat duty to civilian duty – this began a new and exciting era for Jeep.

   The Jeep CJ-5 was the first civilian Jeep for the masses. The CJ-5 sported a softer design, at the same time maintaining the rugged look, designed with comfort, strength, off-road capability in mind. The off-road prowess of Jeep drew a lot of crowd from the adventurists and those who would love off-roading. 1962, saw the introduction of the Jeep Wagoner – the first luxury 4X4 SUV. Launched 7 years before Land Rover introduced the Range Rover, the Jeep Wagoner was the first 4X4 luxury SUV. This made Jeep true pioneers of the 4X4 SUV. The Wagoner was an innovative car offering many industry-first features – the first 4X4 SUV to have an automatic transmission, power steering, air-conditioning, independent front suspension etc. In 1975, Jeep introduced the Cherokee – a full sized 4X4 SUV. It was essentially a 2-door variant of the popular Jeep Wagoner with a refreshed, sporty design, detailing making it appeal to the youth. The Cherokee was available in 2 configuration options; a 2-door and a 4-door. The second-generation Jeep Cherokee (Jeep Cherokee XJ) was introduced in 1984. The all-new Cherokee was a revelation! The new car was based on a completely new platform, it was built on a uni-body platform unlike the traditional ladder on frame design of its predecessor. The new Cherokee had shrunk in dimensions and had lost quite a bit of weight too. The compact designs made it more suited to the rapidly changing times of the urban metropolis. In 1987, Jeep introduced the Wrangler. The Wrangler draws inspiration from the original CJ Series sporting a similar design philosophy with modern design elements well integrated. The Wrangler has for many years been one of the most dependable off-road 4X4 vehicles around winning many accolades and setting many new records in the process. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was launched in 1993 as a replacement for the long-lived Wagoner. The Grand Cherokee was an industry benchmark and set new standards due to its well balanced on-road, off-road capabilities. Now equipped with a new wheelbase, the refinement levels of the Grand Cherokee were taken to the next level. The Jeep Commander introduced in 2006 was the first Jeep with a third row, capable of comfortably seating 7 passengers. 2006 also saw the introduction of a much smaller Jeep – the Compass. Though it was a crossover, it certainly looked more like a smaller SUV. The Compass is a front-wheel drive car, one of the first from Jeep along with the Patriot Compass comes along with 4X4 options as well. The growing demand for a compact urban SUV, especially in emerging markets, led to the creation of the Jeep Compass.

    Jeep finally entered India in 2016 with the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep Wrangler. Though the market received the products well, the pricing strategy was not correct. Both the cars were very expensive and did not find many takers. In 2017, Jeep launched the Compass SUV for the Indian market. The smallest Jeep in India created quite a stir! With a very aggressive pricing, appealing design, rugged build and loaded to the brim with features the Compass soon became the best-selling cars for Jeep in India. As recently as last week, the Jeep Compass crossed sales figures of 19,000 units sold in India. With more products to come, we are quite certain the Jeep brand will continue their legacy of producing excellent 4X4 SUVs capable of taking you anywhere!