Paolo Pininfarina, chairman of the Pininfarina Group, passed away yesterday at the age of 65. Born in Turin on August 28, 1958, Paolo graduated in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin. After working with Cadillac, Honda and General Motors, he began his professional journey at Pininfarina in 1982. In 1987, he assumed the position of president and CEO of Pininfarina Extra SpA, a company within the Group specialising in industrial design, furniture, architecture, nautical and aeronautical design.
He's also been a member of the Board of Directors since 1988, and became a member of the management committee of the parent company Pininfarina SpA in 2002. In 2006, he was appointed vice president of Pininfarina SpA, and following the sudden passing of his brother, Andrea, he assumed the position of chairman in 2008.
Among the masterpieces personally overseen by him, two are particularly dear to him: the concept car Sergio – a two-seater barchetta based on Ferrari mechanicals, which Paolo decided to create in 2013 in memory of his father, Sergio Pininfarina – and the Automobili Pininfarina Battista, an electric hypercar bearing his grandfather's name that he himself unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019.
Paolo’s long and illustrious career in design and the automotive industry has made him a reference figure in the Italian and international landscape, demonstrating his constant commitment to innovation and excellence.
The company gather around the family in remembrance of Paolo's professional and human figure, and thanks to his dedication, the company initiated a diversification process in the 1980s that led it to become a reference point in design fields other than automotive over time.
"On behalf of the board of directors, the board of statutory auditors, and all Pininfarina employees, I express deep sorrow and condolences for the loss of our dear chairman," says Pininfarina's CEO, Silvio Angori.
Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, which has owned the famed design house since December 2015, also offered his condolences at the demise of Paolo Pininfarina.
I mourn the untimely passing yesterday of Paolo Pininfarina, scion of one of the most illustrious families of Italy.
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 10, 2024
This was a great personal loss for me.
When we were bidding to acquire his flagship design company, we told Paolo that our goal was to turn his grandfather… pic.twitter.com/HrDuSwRxef
Mahindra had launched the high-performance EV brand Automobili Pininfarina in 2018, and has been using the technology developed for the Battista hypercar for its Formula E programme as well.
Hormazd Sorabjee
Anurag Chaturvedi
