Battista Coming to Life: The 2020 Electric Hypercar Development Programme Begins

• Automobili Pininfarina Battista dynamic mule testing starts, with hand-crafted production of the first customer vehicles on schedule to commence in late 2020
• #BattistaComingToLife short film series launches online, capturing the people, places and product stories of this meticulous development programme
• Prospective Battista clients to test a prototype of the most powerful Italian sports car ever built in the first half of 2020
• Automobili Pininfarina to mark the 90^th anniversary of the Pininfarina design house with a special vehicle unveiling at Geneva International Motor Show 2020
• New images available here
• Film available here

MUNICH, Feb. 12, 2020 /CNW/ -- Automobili Pininfarina has made a fast start into 2020, the 90^th anniversary year of Pininfarina SpA, commencing the testing and development phase for the ground-breaking Battista – the world's first fully electric luxury hypercar.

The Battista's technical development schedule is headed by Automobili Pininfarina Sportscar Director Rene Wollmann, formerly of Mercedes-AMG. In the driving seat of Battista, prototype vehicles will be former Formula One and Formula E legend Nick Heidfeld, now a Development Driver and Ambassador for the Italian luxury car marque.

Pininfarina Battista

Rene Wollmann commented: "The mule vehicles running the chassis and powertrain concepts for Battista have already achieved 80 per cent of their performance capability without issue. This means that our EV performance is already equal to the most powerful combustion engine-powered hypercar currently in the world. And in the simulation and wind tunnel testing phase, by fine-tuning the aero packaging, we've already seen a significant increase in the potential range of Battista versus our original prediction.

"In the next six months we will progress to delivering a thrilling pure-electric hypercar that seamlessly produces 1,900 hp and 2,300 Nm torque across a range of driving modes to suit varying environments. Our clients cannot wait to experience this performance alongside Nick Heidfeld."

Automobili Pininfarina's teams of engineers will now undertake a rapid development programme of exhaustive testing, evaluation and development over the coming months, in the climates and environments that the Battista will be driven in, that culminates with the first hand-crafted Battistas being handed over to clients at the end of 2020 in Cambiano, Italy.

The Automobili Pininfarina Design Team, led by Chief Design Officer Luca Borgogno, has also created a unique livery for Battista prototypes, seen for the first time on the new hypercar as its technical development programme accelerates into 2020.

Luca Borgogno said: "We have been humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response to the aesthetics of Battista since it was first revealed. So we have chosen to create a playful and interesting prototype livery design that is clearly inspired by the electrifying performance that lies beneath its beautiful exterior.

"Yet our ambition is always to further delight our future clients. To celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the famous Pininfarina design house, the team at Automobili Pininfarina is now preparing the ultimate expression of Battista hypercar design, ready for its world premiere at next month's Geneva International Motor Show." 

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Automobili Pininfarina and the Battista

Automobili Pininfarina is based in Europe with offices in Turin, Italy, and Munich, Germany. A team of experienced automotive executives from luxury and premium car brands are designing, developing and producing all models that will be sold and serviced in all major global markets under the brand name Pininfarina. The new company aims to be the most sustainable luxury car brand in the world.

The company is a 100 per cent Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd investment and has been named Automobili Pininfarina following the signing of a trademark licence agreement between Pininfarina SpA and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Pininfarina SpA will take an influential role in supporting design and production capacities based on their unique almost 90-year experience of producing many of the world's most iconic cars.

The chronology of Automobili Pininfarina – redefining sustainable luxury performance.

April 2018: Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra, Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman, Pininfarina SpA, and Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Mahindra Racing, launch the new car brand with Michael Perschke, CEO, Automobili Pininfarina at the Rome Formula E race. Automobili Pininfarina confirms indicative performance targets for its first car, PF0 (later named Battista). 1,900 hp, 0 – 100 km/h in ‹2 seconds, top speed in excess of 350 km/h and an all-electric range of over 500 km.

August 2018: Full-scale design concept of PF0 revealed at an exclusive customer event in Pebble Beach, California. Confirmation that no more than 150 units of the exclusive all-electric hypercar will be built and the start of production during 2020.

September 2018: Automobili Pininfarina announces Rimac as the Technical Powertrain and Battery partner for the PF0. Confirms Munich as the company's headquarters.

December 2018: Automobili Pininfarina confirms that the previously code named PF0 will be called 'Battista', after Battista 'Pinin' Farina, the founder of the Carrozzeria Pininfarina coachbuilding company he started in 1930.

February 2019: Automobili Pininfarina announces the first stage of its retail strategy, confirming retail locations in the USA, Europe, Asia and Middle East, with an aspiration of 25-40 globally distributed retail specialists.

March 2019: Automobili Pininfarina Battista is the 'star of the show' at the Geneva Motor Show, with its first public showing. Battista also receives its German debut at GREENTECH Festival, Berlin, and its UK introduction at the 77^th Goodwood Members Meeting.

April 2019: The Battista makes its first Italian appearance at the 2019 Rome Formula E race, exactly 12 months after the launch of the brand. The Battista also had its US public introduction at a star-studded event in New York, and Middle East reveal in Dubai, with retail partner Adamas Motors.

July 2019: The development programme of the Automobili Pininfarina Battista continues apace, with wind tunnel testing underway and simulated dynamic performance tests completed under the guidance of Development Driver Nick Heidfeld.

August 2019: Automobili Pininfarina presents the PURA Vision at an exclusive viewing at Monterey Car Week. The PURA Vision design model shows how Automobili Pininfarina will channel historic inspiration into a vision of the future of automotive luxury.

September 2019: Automobili Pininfarina confirms strategic collaboration with Bosch to jointly develop a high-performance electric vehicle platform to underpin future Automobili Pininfarina cars.

November 2019: Automobili Pininfarina launches Hyperdrive, giving clients the opportunity of driving a Mahindra Formula E race car to experience extreme electric vehicle performance.

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SOURCE Automobili Pininfarina