One of the highlights of the 29th Bologna Motor Show, was the exhibition: “The car to be. The future as seen by six great Italian designers” organised by Promotor International and Quattroruote magazine.

The concept car display explored technological innovation and refined  style, presenting a journey into the future of motoring, from compact  super sports cars to compact city cars, from hybrid engines to the latest ideas on safety.

By far the most intriguing concept on display was the Pininfarina  Nido, a safety-oriented research prototype, which made its debut at the 2004 Paris Mondial de l’Automobile.

With the Nido project, Pininfarina chose to rethink the current methodology of the car design process, resulting in an innovative concept, which re-examines safety in small automobiles.

The Nido is a particularly small car, with a total length of 2.890 mm and a wheelbase of 2.068 mm, designed for two occupants and packaged within exceptional styling. 

Its looks and image are classless; it is a car that could be owned and driven by all cross-sections of society in pretty much the same sense as the original Fiat 500 and Vespa scooter. As a result, this particular concept car won this year’s Most Beautiful Car of the Year award in the Prototypes and Concept Car category.

Pininfarina’s rethink into the car design process resulted in the Nido project becoming a concept of total design: coherent integration of all aspects of the design and engineering of the car.

This concept was in fact conceived through an intense collaboration between design and engineering, two poles normally diametrically opposed, with the singular goal of creating an attractive, small and safe vehicle. By focusing and redefining their respective approaches on a singular goal from day one, new innovative solutions were discovered in the overlap between the aesthetic and the technical view points.

The Nido has demonstrated Pininfarina’s ability to combine user’s desires with the technical feasibility that allows the project to be built and sold as a production vehicle. It marks Pininfarina not only as an innovator today, but shows how Pininfarina is providing solutions for a better tomorrow, and this is where the ‘what ifs’ arise…

Italiaspeed view the Nido concept as a perfect candidate for Fiat’s snowballing revival, a small car that would go head-to-head with the DaimlerChrysler smart Fortwo, offering more style and better value for money. It demonstrates a car which Fiat does not have in their current range, and a potent player in a market which is particularly interesting in Italy, Europe and possibly even Asia.

As with the smart, Fiat Auto would not necessarily have to launch the Nido under the Fiat brand. They could dig up a name from the past, such as Autobianchi, create a new brand from scratch, such as Nido or ‘Topolino’, or even strike a deal with Pininfarina to use their logo. The branding possibilities are there for the taking.

What is more, Fiat’s current ‘Made in Italy’ strategy could result in an interesting marketing approach for this small car. By associating the car with leading Italian fashion firms, such as Replay, Fiat could offer an interesting array of trim levels and associated accessories that also function within the car’s interior.

A production version of the Nido should be truly affordable; a stylish and useful commodity accessible to a wide range of the population within Fiat’s global market.

Cars are currently far too expensive, and grotesquely over-packaged with unnecessary luxury items, which is resulting in a worrying situation for the car industry.

University and college students are becoming increasingly older and cannot afford new cars. Whereas young people used to associate cars with their image, this has now mainly slipped, with the mobile phone industry eagerly taking up the reigns.

A production Nido would become an icon of everyday life, as did the original Fiat Topolino and 500 models of yesteryear. The Pininfarina Nido is a true contender which could aspire to boost Italy’s car production figures, and help bring Fiat back into the black.

by James Granger

Photos: Carlo Ombello & Pasquale Caterisano