At Auto Shanghai 2011, the excellence which has distinguished Pininfarina design for more than 80 years is represented by the new Ferrari FF and the Maserati GranTurismo, symbols of prestigious collaboration agreements with brands that are deeply rooted and popular in the Chinese market. Pininfarina’s technical competencies and commitment to sustainable mobility are represented by a mechanised, electric Vehicle Demonstrator developed within the Nido workshop project as an engineering evolution of the concept that led to the birth of a first working electric prototype, the Nido EV.

In this edition of Auto Shanghai, Pininfarina is also celebrating the continuation of its long-standing partnership with Brilliance, which over the years has led to the creation of a number of models now displayed on the Brilliance stand. Of these, the Brilliance Junjie restyling, designed and engineered by Pininfarina in saloon and station wagon versions, based on the previous versions designed by Pininfarina. On the JAC (Anhui Jianghaui Automobile Co. Ltd.) stand are four Pininfarina designed and developed vehicles: the B-Class saloon, the B-MPV MPV, the A107 hatchback and the A108 saloon, the first Chinese car to win the prestigious China New-vehicle APEAL (Automotive, Performance, Execution and Layout) Award assigned by J.D. Power Asia Pacific.

Of the other Pininfarina designed models recently introduced to the Chinese market, on display at the show is the Chery A3, in hatchback and saloon versions, which has won awards such as the China's Annual Best Medium-Size Car 2009 and the Annual Expectation Auto Model.

“The desire to have our own stand at Auto Shanghai,” explains CEO Silvio Pietro Angori, “bears witness to the fact that the Chinese automotive market, one of the few which is expected to report solid growth in coming years, is by a long way the most important for Pininfarina. Our decision to open offices in Shanghai is part of the same vision. Fully operational, it will employ dozens of highly professional staff so as to best exploit trends in the market which for the moment demands services of high technical content and a local presence.”

Pininfarina was the first Italian design house to supply styling and engineering services to Chinese car manufacturers, and this was back in 1996. Since then, Pininfarina has extended its range of activities by developing partnerships with manufacturers such as AviChina (Hafei), Chery, Changfeng, Brilliance and JAC, for which highly successful vehicles have been designed. The Beijing Motor Show of 2010, for example, displayed as many as seven premium models designed and engineered by Pininfarina for Brilliance, JAC and Chery. Business with Chinese manufacturers which already generates a significant part of Pininfarina’s revenues, will grow even more in the years to come with the increase in its activities in the sectors of design (styling and engineering) and sustainable mobility.

The constant growth in the Chinese market led Pininfarina to open offices in Beijing back in the Nineties, followed last year by the opening of a Product Development Centre in the district of Shanghai. Pininfarina Automotive Engineering (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. will enable Pininfarina to develop part of its engineering activities for Chinese OEMs close by and, in some cases, together with them so as to better respond to the growing demands of that market.

Pininfarina and the Chinese academic world enjoy excellent relations. Two preliminary agreements, finalised in 2010, envisage cooperation with Tsinghua University of Beijing and the Tong Ji University of Shanghai for joint activities of personnel training and research in fields ranging from vehicle design architecture to the virtual and physical validation of prototypes, in addition to conferences, workshops and internship projects aimed at cross-fertilisation.

Pininfarina’s commitment to China is such that it has also been recognised by the Italy-China Foundation which, in 2010, awarded the Company the Best Testimony to Made in Italy Design award, one of the most prestigious of the China Awards, the fifth edition of the ceremony that awards prizes to companies, institutions and personalities who have taken best advantage of the opportunities offered by economic and cultural relations between Italy and China.

“This new award”, comments Chairman Paolo Pininfarina, “fills us with pride because it underlines Pininfarina’s role in the excellence of design and as a standard-bearer for Italian-made goods in the world’s leading market. The models on display at the Shanghai Show confirm these qualities of reliable partner for emerging companies in creating cars of great aesthetic personality and defining brand identity. Furthermore, the prestigious awards assigned to Pininfarina-designed models underline the company’s ability to match Pininfarina’s aesthetic values to the culture of the local market.”

The FF is being presented for the first time in Asia on the Pininfarina stand at Auto Shanghai. This is the best performing and most versatile car in the history of Ferrari, not to mention the first car from the Prancing Horse stable to have four-wheel drive. The FF, an acronym for Ferrari Four (four seater – four-wheel drive), lays down a completely new concept of sporting Gran Turismo, reconciling extremely high performance with great usability, refined elegance and exceptional comfort. Designed by Pininfarina, its forms and volumes establish perfect harmony between its sporting soul and extraordinary versatility.

Alongside the FF is the Maserati GranTurismo, one of the three models in the Maserati range – saloon coupé, cabriolet – all Pininfarina designs: Quattroporte, GranTurismo, GranCabrio. Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful cars of its generation, the GranTurismo is also the car that has rewritten the rules of comfortable, fast sports cars that can host four adults. Thanks to its elegant Pininfarina-signed lines, the GranTurismo has carried off a number of awards including Best in Show, assigned by AutoWeek and the Most Beautiful Award from the readers of Auto, Motor und Sport.