Pininfarina will always be remembered as one of the most famous design studios in the world, highly associated with Ferrari (some of the best Ferraris have been drawn at Pininfarina) and with the best aerodynamic characteristics. However, one day, with a spectacular debt of just over 114 million euros, Pininfarina ended up under the control of Mahindra in 2015 (they bought the shares at 1.1 euros and took over the debt).
In 2018 Ferrari and Pininfarina stopped working together, the Cavallino firm wants more control over its designs (and surely the fact that Mahindra enters the scene has some importance), and also, that same year Pininfarina Automobile is founded.
Since 2018, the most famous design studio in the world, or at least one of them, has also been manufacturing cars, not just any cars, but very high-performance electric cars. His first creation is called Pininfarina Battista and it was officially presented in 2019, the date from which it has been in development until now when has finally entered production. This is a special moment, both for the company and for the industry in general, as we are witnessing the arrival, at last, of Pininfarina’s first own car, the most powerful car made in Italy to date, and to top it off, electric.
There will only be 150 units of the Pininfarina Battista, all of them manufactured almost by hand and according to the express wishes of their very wealthy buyers. According to the company, the production of each unit requires 10 weeks of work (about 1,250 hours) in a total of 14 different production and quality control areas, in which 10 highly qualified operators work. The painting process alone requires three weeks and several areas of the production line require a stoppage of days or more to continue manufacturing. At the end of the assembly line, each car is placed on a lift for 24 hours for a complete wheel and steering alignment.
On the other hand, there are five units of a special edition, all of them sold, which require more time. These are the units belonging to the Pininfarina Battista Aniversario, which requires three additional weeks of work (almost 100 more hours of work).
The Hiper GT Battista is the realization of a dream, which began with design icon Battista “Pinin” Farina’s ambition to create a beautiful car bearing only the Pininfarina name. We are proud to have achieved that goal and in doing so are leading a movement into an exciting new era of luxury, where the purity of design and focus on sustainable innovations will shape a series of incredible vehicles .” – Per Svensson, CEO of Pininfarina Automobile
Pininfarina Automobile production takes place in Italy at the Battista Atelier located in Cambiano. They are facilities that had previously been used as a Pininfarina study center, but after the founding of Pininfarina Automobile, they were renovated and transformed into a production line. Some facilities will be visited by each client, to meet the production team and to see how their Battista is manufactured. In addition, according to the brand, “a design proposal is created for each client before inviting them to Cambiano, to work face-to-face with the designers, where they then refine their final specification.”
Being such an exclusive and expensive car, it also has some services to match. For example, customer service will be available for the life of the property and a very striking and specialized service is added, which they have called Flying Doctor. This means that a person with “encyclopedic knowledge” will value any part of the world to solve possible problems that may arise and make the user enjoy the full power of the Battista.
In addition, three after-sales packages will also be offered: Eccellenza, which is a maintenance program for five or ten years; Futura, which extends the powertrain and battery warranty up to a total of ten years; and Eterna, which offers buyers the opportunity to add replacement body parts (for future use if needed) that are built and hand-painted alongside with the car.
