Pininfarina Battista reaches production

Though its body is designed in Italy, the Battista shares its electric powertrain and between 30 and 40 per cent of its components with the Rimac C Two, which calls Croatia home.

There are four electric motors, each powering its own wheel, and they're coupled with a 120kWh battery pack. Pininfarina says the Battista produces 1416kW of power and 2300Nm of torque, good for a 1.85-second 100km/h sprint and a 415km/h top speed.

Pininfarina also promises a range of around 480 kilometres, while fast-charging technology allows the Battista to charge from 0 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

The Battista will be available globally, but production will be capped at 125 to 150 units, with 60 cars destined for North America – the remaining two-thirds of vehicles will reportedly be spread throughout Europe and the Middle East.

Speaking at the vehicle's launch, Pininfarina Group chairman and grandson of company founder Battista Farina, Paolo Pininfarina, said the brand’s first production car "is different from all our other projects, as for the past 90 years we have always designed in partnership with famous Italian sports car brands".

"The car we have produced is truly a Pininfarina, and for me that makes the dream come true."

Pininfarina has designed vehicles for a number of carmakers, most notably Ferrari. It has penned over 64 models for the Italian company over their five-decade-plus partnership.

Pininfarina was purchased by Mahindra for a reported $272 million in 2015 to help burnish the Indian manufacturing conglomerate’s reputation in the motoring world.

Mahindra hoped insights gained through its Formula E outfit, Mahindra Racing, will aid the technological advancement of future Pininfarina vehicles, with an electric SUV slated for release in the next few years.