In December 2025, Pininfarina's Chief Product and Engineering Officer, Paolo Dellachà, stepped up as CEO of the hallowed Italian design firm. Dellachà was directly involved in the development of the all-electric Battista hypercar, and now runs the Pininfarina business. We recently sat down with Dellachà to find out how he's settling into the CEO role, how the Mahindra integration is going, prospects for a Pininfarina design centre in India, and where he sees the future of the brand.
Do you have projects currently active with Indian automobile manufacturers?
Yes, I can say that we are working with OEMs in India on both engineering services and styling projects. However, I cannot disclose the details or brands, as these projects are all consultancy and confidential and do not involve the marketing of the Pininfarina brand.
How is the integration between Pininfarina and Tech Mahindra?
Tech Mahindra is a world leader in technology and offers state-of-the-art technical services. At Pininfarina, we have experience in the luxury sector, so the synergy model we are developing is to get the best of the two companies. So, we go to the market with the technology that Tech Mahindra can provide, along with the styling and brand leverage that Pininfarina brings.
Have there been challenges working together, and when would we see the outcome of a joint project?
We don’t see challenges, but opportunities, and we have had a good integration. There is a lot of respect and trust, and my experience so far has been good. Plus, we are both global companies, and of course, India is included in this. So, you will see us becoming a bigger player in India, but we are talking of services, right, so this often happens in a confidential manner.
Many OEMs have R&D centres in India for local and global work; are you also looking at this?
Right now, we are working with some of these OEMs that have India-based R&D centres, so yes, for Pininfarina to look at a centre in India is an opportunity that at least needs to be investigated. For automotive design, we work out of Italy, and we also have a large design team in China and a US subsidiary mostly focused on architecture. So yes, eventually we would want to look at centres in the US and also India, especially since India is a large and fast-growing market.
What are the plans for Pininfarina’s own line of vehicles? We have not seen anything beyond the Battista so far.
Unfortunately, I cannot speak of any plans, as I no longer run Automobili Pininfarina but lead our B2B sector. About the past, though, I can say that we delivered a fantastic product and have definitely reinforced the legacy of the Pininfarina brand. As for the future, I think Mahindra would elaborate on whether this legacy would be utilised on another B2C program.
Having just taken over, how do you see the growth of the brand?
It’s too preliminary to provide figures, but in a year, we will be able to share plans for the future. What I can say now is we have a legacy that is still recognised as one of the best in automotive and non-automotive design. So, we want to grow and be a big player as a luxury mobility and living solutions provider, where solutions would go from engineering and styling to manufacturing ultra-luxury small-series vehicles, like we are already doing for some luxury OEMs. In living too, we can expand beyond design. We can only achieve this with support from Tech Mahindra in terms of technology, including AI, which is a valuable tool today.
Automobile designs are getting very homogeneous, especially EVs; what’s your take on this?
I see what you mean. Yes, vehicles are quite similar. With EVs not requiring to have a huge air intake, most designers are closing off that area, and with LED lights, everyone is going slim. So, with slim headlights and no grille, you are losing the main area that can define your family feeling or identity. When we collaborate with brands, though, we try and help our customers create a unique design.
LED lights seem to be the new chrome. What do you see as the future trend in car design?
It’s a very good question, and overall, I think there’s going to be a very strong demand for an analogue feeling and experience. That does not mean technology is not needed, but the HMI and user experience need to be more tactile and analogue. In terms of style, I see muscularity and strong, defining elements coming back, even to the extent of a sacrifice in roominess.
With inputs from Sergius Barretto
Dipan Sur
Uday Singh
Saptarshi Mondal
