Pininfarina boosting Mahindra's future tech

Pininfarina is more than just a design studio, as Pravin Shah explained to motoring.com.au at the Delhi motor show last week.

Asked what was the logic underlying the acquisition of the renowned styling house Mahindra Automotive's Chief Executive responded by saying that "they also used to manufacture and assemble the who's who of brands."

But Mahindra is already a manufacturing concern with considerable capacity to build its own products – and indeed it has its own full-time design staff – there must be more to the story than Pininfarina building some niche-volume models for Mahindra.

According to Shah, there are opportunities for Pininfarina to work in lock step with Mahindra Tech, a division of the conglomerate developing autonomous (self-driving) technology for future product. The Mahindra boss hinted that the car of the future would have to be designed for ergonomic efficiency, even if it gets around on public roads without a driver behind the wheel. Presumably Pininfarina would step in and develop the human/machine interfaces, the swivelling chairs and all the other accoutrements of future autonomous technology.

"I think if you go forward, the future of technology is going to be autonomous cars and a lot of futuristic technologies," Shah said. Although there was little time left in the interview to delve more deeply into Pininfarina's role in the development of autonomous technology for Mahindra, Shah hints at Mahindra extending its capability as a provider of a 'one-stop' solution for companies intending to join the autonomous revolution.

Shah says that Mahindra Tech is already well down the path of establishing relationships with car companies in North America and Europe. And the automotive side of the business – with a penchant for developing and building vehicles on a cost-effective budget – can help the Tech division and Pininfarina produce affordable (off-the-shelf?) autonomous technology for supply to other car companies.

"They [Mahindra Tech] have other technology partners with almost all global automotive brands, a bit in Europe, a bit in the US, all in the advanced countries. So, as a part of brick and mortar in terms of design house, the future of technologies and Mahindra’s own experience in the making, in a frugal way, the automobiles, as compared to the way in which European brands used to operate in the past, like Fiat and others, so I think as a combination of this that we possibly feel actually that it enhances and gives us more strength."

But autonomous technology isn't the sole task for Pininfarina. Shah says that Pininfarina can bid to develop interiors, exteriors or whole concepts for Mahindra. But it has to be competitive with Mahindra's own design staff working in the automotive division.

It was already established before meeting with Shah, for instance, that Pininfarina had collaborated with Mahindra's in-house design team – led by Ramkripa ('Kripa') Ananthan – on the interior of the TUV300, which could be characterised as a high-riding people mover rather than an SUV.

Ms Ananthan subsequently paid tribute to Pininfarina's work on the TUV300, when she was interviewed by motoring.com.au at the Delhi show.

"It is a household name in design, Pininfarina, and I guess we’d like Pininfarina to maintain its identity," she said. "So I don’t see us sort of taking over. We would, of course, work problems with them in, in design, like in all other ways, at the early stage of ideation.

"I’ve done a few projects with them. It’s ... the professionalism, the knowledge, the, the ease, the ability they bring in the design; [the] capability they bring in is just great. So definitely there will be a rub-off just working with them..."