Italian coachbuilding companies look to work with manufacturers to secure the futures of their companies
Italian styling houses Pininfarina and Touring Superleggera believe that joint projects, rather than volume production, will ensure the future of coachbuilding companies.
Piero Mancardi, boss of Touring Superleggera, said: “There is a definite market space for this kind of function. We take from the manufacturer all the fuss. We can take the idea, turn it into a design, or even make a prototype. It’s a turn-key project.
“We would lose our DNA if we went to higher volumes. If we made 1000 cars, then it wouldn’t be so special. It doesn’t mean we’re not ready to co-operate in projects at that level, but we would be providing only design and engineering.”
Paolo Pininfarina, boss of Pininfarina, takes a similar view. “Working as a partner generates progress,” he said. “We can explore solutions together and push innovation in production designs. The limited runs are the root of our company, though. This is really, to me, the spirit of the high- class coachbuilder and high- class design. We will never go into mass production again.”
Both companies are also looking to make their limited- edition runs — independent or manufacturer-affiliated — more consistent and frequent.
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