Pininfarina will show a plug-in diesel coupe
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TURIN -- Pininfarina will unveil the Cambiano, a four-seat plug-in hybrid with a diesel-powered range-extender, at the upcoming Geneva auto show.
The concept has an electric motor for each wheel, each delivering 60kW that peaks at 150kW for short periods. A small turbine fueled by diesel recharges the batteries or drives the wheels.
The drivetrain offers supercar performance with CO2 emissions of just 45 grams per kilometer.
Pininfarina says the car has an 800km range including 205km in pure electric mode. It has a top speed of 250kph with short-time peaks at 275kph and acceleration from 0 to 100kph in 4.2 seconds.
Andrea Maria Benedetto, Pininfarina's head of product and process development, said the Cambiano's turbine weighs half as much as an internal combustion engine delivering an equivalent 50kW/68hp power.
"We decided to use diesel for the turbine because its emissions are so clean that we could consider it a future Euro 7 compliant powertrain," Benedetto said.
Benedetto, a former Fiat and Toyota Europe product engineer, said turbines are not suitable to power a passenger car, but ideal to work in connection with an electricity generator.
The Cambiano has a single long door on the driver's side and two doors on the passenger side, including a rear-hinged rear door. It has no B-pillar.
The passenger compartment is made with carbon fiber, with aluminum sub-frames in the front and rear to carry powertrain, suspension systems and batteries.
Parts of the interior including the floor, fascia and lower part of the door panels are covered with oak wood recycled from the Italian lagoon where the city of Venice is located where it was used for navigation poles.
Lancia Florida inspiration
The concept is the first public work of Pininfarina's new chief creative officer Fabio Filippini, who joined the company in April 2011 from Renault.
"We took inspiration from the 1957 Lancia Florida II (large coupe), trying to create a pure form with a strong impact, which is Pininfarina's DNA. I wanted to create a strong visual impact into the Cambiano using as few lines as possible, while avoiding any decoration," Filippini said.
To simplify the design, Filippini created headlights that are tiny LED blades integrated into the grille shape. The rear lamps are hidden behind a gray bar.
The Cambiano is named after Pininfarina's home city near Turin.
You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@crain.com.
