Could Pininfarina be working on a new SUV?

Iconic Italian design house Pininfarina could be set to introduce its own SUV as the firm looks to become a mainstay in the luxury car market.

The firm, famous for designing numerous legendary Ferraris, recently revealed the 1,874bhp Battista all-electric hypercar — though it’s set to cost in the range of £1.5m-2.5m and be restricted to just 150 examples.

It plans to use this car as a halo model, while expanding to comparatively mainstream offerings using a ‘skateboard’ EV platform, according to reports.

Speaking to Automotive News Europe, Pininfarina chief executive, Michael Perschke, said: “It’s our clear strategic intent is to become a significant player in the hypercar and super-luxury segment. We have a very clear intent to not remain a one-hit-wonder.”

It’s thought cars in this expansion plan will include an SUV and a high-end saloon based on a platform developed in collaboration with an unnamed ‘Tier 1’ supplier in a bid to cut down development costs.

The report from Automotive News Europe also claims Perschke said these underpinnings would be offered to other brands and that up to 372 miles of range would be possible.

The publication also says Pininfarina would not approach the Volkswagen Group for its own ‘PPE’ platform that is currently being developed for use by both Audi and Porsche, as it wouldn’t be compatible with its SUV plans.

Perschke also suggested producing cars in the UK would be a possibility, though Italy would be preferable. He said: “Ideally we would produce in Italy, but we’ve had a lot of inquiries from other governments. The countries with stronger EV development policies are Germany, France and the UK. The Italian government is unfortunately lagging behind.”