China's BAIC Working with Pininfarina on Saab-based Model, Confirms Interest in the Italian Design House

Photo: BAW C71 from 2010 Beijing Show

Yesterday, we brought you photos and details about a new and very Mercedes-Benz B-Class-like model from BAIC or Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp. Today, we have more news on the Chinese automaker as a media report citing an unnamed executive from the company claims that BAIC is working with Italian engineering and design specialist Pininfarina on a new vehicle based on the underpinning of a previous generation Saab model.

Last year, BAIC purchased the intellectual rights for Saab's older 9-5 and certain 9-3 models from General Motors, which then still owned the Swedish firm.

"I just came back from Italy last week and have communicated with the technical staff at Pininfarina about the design proposal of the Saab models," the BAIC executive said. "Pininfarina is the most successful overseas car design company in China. BAIC has been collaborating with it on development of models based on the Saab technology and will display an all-new concept car with the Saab genes at next year's Shanghai auto show, while Pininfarina will be responsible for the contour design of the car."

We'll remind you that BAIC's subsidiary BAW (Beijing Auto Work), showed a Saab 9-3-based model called the C60 along with a larger sedan based on the 9-5 named C71 (pictured here), at the Beijing Auto Show this past April.

The unnamed BAIC exec also confirmed reports from Italian media about the company's interest in taking over Pininfarina S.p.A.

"BAIC has submitted the bid for the Italian firm for several months," he said. "The successful acquisition of Pininfarina will be very favorable for BAIC’s development of future models. But BAIC does not have to win the bid, after all, the two sides are still under the cooperation."

Other companies said to be interested in the money-losing Italian design house include Canadian-Austrian parts supplier Magna International and India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Source: Eeo via: Gasgoo , Photos: Che168

One-Off 1960 Pininfarina X Concept up for Sale

No, this isn't the real-life car of George Jetson. It's the 1960 Pininfarina X, a futuristic concept from the famous Italian design house for a four-door saloon with three wheels and an aerodynamically shaped body that was said to achieve a drag coefficient of 0,23. Pininfarina's concept model features a 43HP Fiat engine of the same era.

We don't know how it "landed" in the hands of this Ft. Lauderdale dealer, but the asking price on the website is a sky-high US$3,000,000.

Thanks for the tip Henry! Link: Atscollection

Pininfarina Shows All-Electric Nido Mini

Marking the celebrations of the its 80th anniversary, Pininfarina unveiled a new all-electric mini-car prototype called the Nido EV. It is an evolution of the original Nido concept that Pininfarina showed in 2004.

According to the Italian design house, the Nido EV is a "veritable laboratory designed both to explore the electrification of a small city car and to develop a modular floorpan."

The 2,905mm-long two seater prototype uses a tubular steel frame, but the final version will have a lighter aluminium space frame. Pininfarina claims that the structure was designed to be able spawn up to four different, completely electric or hybrid vehicles including two-seater, 2+2, pickup and van models.

This particular version of the Nido uses a rear-mounted electric engine producing 30kW to drive the rear wheels. Power is stored in a Zebra Z5 Ni-NaCl battery. When fully charged, it offers the Nido EV a driving range of 140 km or 87 miles.

Pininfarina says that the Nido EV can accelerates from 0 to 60 km/h (37mph) in 6.7 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 120 km/h (75mph).

There are no current plans to put the Nido into production.

NIDO EV SPEC SHEET

Roominess ----------------------------------2-seater City Car

Electrical drive------------------------------Rear

Measurements (Length/Width/Height)--- 2905/1683/1507 mm

0-60 km/h acceleration-------------------- 6.7 sec

Top speed (limited electronically) -------- 120 km/h

Range fully charged ------------------------140 Km

Weight empty (ready for road) -----------~900 kg

Engine----------------------------------------Synchronous with permanent magnetos

Maximum power output-------------------- 30 kW

Maximum torque to wheels---------------- 125 Nm

Drive battery-------------------------------- ZEBRA Z5 (Ni-NaCl)

Rated voltage--------------------------------278 V

Rated capacity------------------------------ 21.2 kWh

Charge time--------------------------------- 8 hours

Pininfarina Teases Alfa Romeo Spider Concept Ahead of Geneva Show

In celebration of its own 80th anniversary and Alfa Romeo's 100th birthday, famous Italian design house Pininfarina announced that it will be unveiling a new roadster concept model at this year's Geneva Salon on March 2.

Pininfarina said in a statement that the two seater concept car will blend modern with vintage styling cues from classic Alfa Romeo Spiders of the past. Aside from the teaser sketch seen above, the Italian company did not release any other images or details on the roadster model.

Pininfarina 'Golden Ferrari' Revives Fantuzzi's 1965 Ferrari 250 GT NART Spyder

The retro-styled Ferrari you see pictured above was snapped by a reader over from our Dutch friends at Autoblog.nl. There's no official information on the Pininfarina-designed Prancing Horse model other than it's named 'The Golden Ferrari'. Though it looks that it could be based on the Ferrari 599 GTB, we can't be sure about its underpinnings. However, what we can tell you is that it's styling revives the 1965 Ferrari 250GT NART Spyder that was designed and built by Modena coachbuilder Fantuzi for Ferrari's North American importer, Luigi Chinetti.

This car, that was based on the Ferrari 250 GTE was shown for the first time to the public at the 1965 San Francisco Sports Car show and it later appeared at the New York and Miami Auto motorshows.

A golden version of the 250GT NART Spyder was featured in a short film called "Toby Dammit" that we've never heard before but apparently inspired Pininfarina in the creation of this mysterious Ferrari.

We thank Vincent from Autoblog.nl for the photos

For Photos of the orig. 1965 Ferrari 250GT NART Spyder Click here: Prancing Horse Farm / Supercars

Pininfarina B0: Paris Show Car Previews 2009 Electric Mini

Sign of the times? Perhaps, but fact is that Pininfarina’s Paris Show surprise debut was neither a Ferrari nor a Maserati. Instead the famous Italian design house presented an all-electric city car called the B0 –with a zero and not an ‘O’. The B0 is the result of a partnership between Pininfarina and Bollore, a French company that specializes in components for capacitors. Interestingly, Pininfarina claims that the B0 is not a prototype as it will be mass produced with the first units coming off the production line at the end of 2009, after which production will be ramped up gradually based on the availability of the batteries. -Continued

The sleek-looking city car which will be built in Turin, Italy by Pininfarina-Bolloré, a joint venture formed by the two family-owned groups, is not based on any existing model as it was designed from the ground up. Its batteries are housed in a compartment specially designed for that purpose and located under the car, between its axles. This solution lowers the B0’s center of gravity thus improving its road-holding properties.

According to Pininfarina, the batteries can be charged in a matter of hours from a standard domestic main socket providing it with a range of 250 km or 153 miles. Additionally, the B0 will feature a set of solar panels on its roof and hood that will help recharge the batteries. Equipped with an automatic gearbox, the four-seater, five-door hatchback is said to have an electronically governed top speed of 130 km/h (80 mph) while acceleration from zero to 60 km/h (0 to 37 mph) will come in 6.3 seconds.