Less than two months after Mahindra & Mahindra announced it would make high-performance electric cars under its Automobili Pininfarina brand, more sketches of its electric hypercar - codenamed PF Zero - have been revealed. The sketches are a sign that the brand is moving faster than expected. Autocar India broke the news of the formation of Automobili Pininfarina nearly three weeks before the official announcement.
The hypercar features a futuristic design with the wheels and fenders pushed out and protruding from the bodywork. The windscreen rake and the bonnet slope are contained stylistically in one line. Automobili Pininfarina chief designer Luca Borgogno was tasked with the job of penning a design that doesn’t stray from the sensual, flowing and brilliantly proportioned Pininfarina ethos.
Automobili Pininfarina is likely to release a design sketch of the PF Zero in New York soon and is said to have invited a select list of prospective clients for a private viewing of early prototypes at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2018.
For the electric powertrain, the company is partnering with Croatian electric supercar maker and electric component and system supplier Rimac, which is set to develop the modular underpinnings for the PF Zero. Rimac has just got a shot in its arm as Porsche announced that it has acquired a ten percent stake in the company for an undisclosed amount. It is thought that Porsche aims to use Rimac’s expertise in high-voltage battery tech and EV powertrains in its future sportscars.
Set to go on sale in 2020, the PF Zero will have a limited production run of 75-90 cars that will give the model some exclusivity. Capable of accelerating to 100kph in 2sec and 300kph in less than 12sec, the PF Zero is expected to be right up there with other hypercars.