How The Pininfarina Battista Is Setting A New Standard In Luxury Electric Cars

Over the past couple of years, the automobile industry has seen a massive shift to a new electric era. Traditional automakers have been adjusting as quickly as possible to the popular trend, adding all-electric models to their fleets. In terms of the «luxury car companies», many speculated how these specific manufacturers would adapt to the EV world when most are famous for their powerful combustion engines. Stepping into the forefront of this revolution is Pininfarina. The Italian-based company has been a pioneer in automotive design, creating luxurious bodies for top brands like Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, and many more. During this rapidly growing transition to electric, Pininfarina decided to produce the company’s first luxury vehicle with an all-electric motor.

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A Glance Back At The Pininfarina Brand

Pininfarina Battista showing off the butterfly doors. 

While Pininfarina may not be as well-known as the other luxury automotive brands on the market, it has been behind many of the iconic rides car enthusiasts all know and love. It all started when Battista Farina, the youngest of his siblings, decided to depart from his family’s established coachbuilder company that had been around since the late 1900s. Originally called Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, Battista began designing bodies for famous manufacturers such as Lancia and Rolls Royce in the ’30s. Although World War II halted Battista’s ambitions, he began working very closely with Cadillac by the mid-50s designing innovative bodies for the US-based company. At the same time, he was designing almost all of Ferrari’s production vehicles and helped run Scuderia Ferrari, its race brand, for almost 30 years.

After Battista passed in 1961, his family continued to expand Pininfarina, including new partnerships with companies such as Mitsubishi. By 2005, 185 designers worked for the luxury automotive design company which was later sold to a conglomerate based out of India called the Mahindra Group in 2015. Now known for designing some of the most beautiful and luxurious cars to ever drive the streets, Pininfarina had yet to produce any vehicle under its own name. That changed when the Pininfarina Battista was officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019. After a couple more years of testing, they started selling them in 2022 with the U.S. as one of its primary markets.

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Behind The All-Electric Pininfarina Battista

The makers behind most of the Ferrari 250 GTs finally created their own official car with the Pininfarina Battista. Teaming up with the Croatian-based company Rimac for the powertrain and battery technology, it features a quad electric motor, one powering each wheel individually, similar to the Rimac Nevera. Generating over 1,900 horsepower and 1,696 pound-feet of torque, it showed off its record-breaking acceleration during a test run on the NATRAX circuit in India. Reaching 60 mph from a standstill in just 1.79 seconds, the Battista held the world record until it was broken earlier this year by the Rimac Nevera. The instantaneous acceleration launches the driver back against the seat with peak acceleration reaching about 1.4Gs.

Aside from the quad electric motor powertrain, Rimac also provides the 120 kWh battery made of manganese, nickel, and lithium for the Italian beast. With a range of about 300 miles off one charge, the Battista’s top speed is electronically capped at 217 miles per hour. The company claims the hypercar can charge from 20 to 80 percent of a full battery in as little as 25 minutes. Orders are currently being sent out to its 150 customers with a starting price of around $2.4m. The Pininfarina Battista has five customizable driving modes: Calma, Pura, Energica, Furiosa, and Caraterre. Each gives the driver a completely different experience behind the wheel. Modes like the Calma only allow a fraction of the possible horsepower for a more day-to-day driving experience, and then you have Furiosa, the equivalent of Track Mode, unleashing full power and handling to push the vehicle to its limits.

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The Battista Screams Luxury

Custom leather luggage set in the Paninfarina Battista’s trunk.

Aside from its impressive performance capabilities, the Battista elegantly integrates classic Italian luxury into the hypercars body. With a total of 150 vehicles manufactured, the rarity and luxury behind the electric hypercar have generated quite the buzz. Each of the 150 clients works personally with the design team to ensure every car is made to their exact specifications. While the outside boasts an expensive all-carbon fiber frame with butterfly doors, the inside features Italian leather surfaces sourced near Pininfarina’s factory in Cambiano, Italy.

The very modern and minimalist interior has two horizontal touchscreens on either side of the steering wheel and a smaller third screen above the wheel that acts as the speedometer. The spacious cabin is much of a surprise to everyone who steps foot into the Italian GT since most hypercars substitute comfort for performance. Pininfarina teamed up with NAIM, a popular British audio company, to develop the custom designs of the audio system. The Battista gives a unique Spaceship whirl sound when you approach and enter the car. Instead of having a soundless EV like other electric carmakers, NAIM worked hard to ensure the audio in the cockpit was compatible with the artificial engine noises when accelerating and decelerating. Using a 12-speaker internal sound system and two external speakers, the generated exhaust soundtrack adds to the already impressive driving experience.

The luxury Italian company embedded a special eSIM inside the vehicle available to use in over 50 countries. Since the vehicle is always linked to the Internet, the driver can use real-time navigation and Wi-Fi for personal electronic devices when out on the road. The Battista also features a glass trunk lid for storage. To add to the luxury, Pininfarina offers customer luggage sets that fit perfectly in the trunk for a cool price of $20,000 extra. The automaker also offers programs such as its five- or 10-year maintenance program and an Eterna program. The Eterna program offers painted replacement parts of the body kit, so customers have the chance to show off their elaborate purchase with some wall art. The company plans on revealing at least four more electric cars, releasing one every 12 months.

Although each vehicle will still be extremely luxurious, the price will be more attainable than the $2.4 million Battista at a six-figure market price. All of them will be fully electric with the exception of the next model expected to be a hydrogen SUV, followed by a grand tourer and then a roadster. Pininfarina plans to have its fully electric SUV compete with the popular Lamborghini Urus for the top spot in the luxury sports utility vehicle market. After Pininfarina produced the world’s first pure-electric hyper GT and most powerful vehicle to come out of Italy yet, the Italian company aims to be the top luxury electric carmaker in the world as the market continues to trend towards a sustainable future. Car fans are excited to see what is in store next for Pininfarina in the coming years after the successful launch of its first EV.