REvoLUTIoNARY IQcook • BOšTJAN PEčNIK, STEERING ... - Gorenje

PROfILE
We understood the potential of the chinese market and since
then more than 20 design projects have been carried out for
several local manufacturers, all targeted at the local market.
now we have a very good knowledge of the market and we
follow its continuous evolution.
china is now the first country worldwide in terms of
(automotive) market and manufacturing capacity and output.
as a design leader, it is essential to be present. however, we
intend to establish our presence in other promising areas of
the global market, and we are gradually bringing our design
and engineering services to other potential actors.
chinese clients are attracted to Italian design. Iconic products
such as Ferraris are very important in promoting Italian style
around the world. at the same time I believe that good
Italian design is international because classic, elegant and
harmonious lines are appreciated everywhere. as far as local
culture goes, we work hard to support our clients to generate
clear brand identities; we think our experience in establishing
long-term relationships can be very helpful.
the nido ev is the first running prototype for an electric car
conceived, designed and built entirely by the pininfarina
Style and engineering centre of cambiano (turin).
Similarly the pininfarina Bluecar was developed by the
pininfarina-Bolloré joint venture.
44 GORENJE LIfE STYLE MAGAZINE
can pininfarina be expected to be a big presence in the
electric car market?
and how much of the car is pininfarina interested in
designing; and even producing?
can new, cleaner and eco-technologies in one sector
(automotive) be transferred to other segments like
appliances and other energy-demanding products?
electric cars and more generally sustainable mobility are central
to our vision. since electric cars are appearing increasingly on
the market, we consider them the niche of the near future and
feel we could be involved in the manufacturing of low volumes
– a few thousand cars – of each model annually.
the blue car project started earlier, in 2008, and we are
involved in the manufacturing of derivitive version for the
innovative mobility system “Paris autolib” with a projected
production of 3000 units from end-2011 to end-2013 under
the direction of the bolloré group that will supply exclusive
innovative lithium metal polymer batteries.
the nido ev project is 100% Pininfarina. It began in 2010 with
a design that was derived from the nido concept (2004),
winner of the 2008 compasso d’oro. We are currently defining
the platform and the electrical package and a demonstrator
was presented at the 2011 shangai auto show. the project is
becoming increasingly defined but only time will tell how many
cars will be produced, and for what destination.