The annual Geneva motor show is witness to some of the most awaited world premieres across the globe. World’s biggest car makers are in attendance showcasing what the future of mobility holds. But this year was particularly special for homegrown car makers Tata and Mahindra who used the world stage to demonstrate their cars of the future. And as some special products got revealed the world took notice of what Indian automobile manufacturers are capable of.
Pininfarina Battista
Now Pininfarina is almost a century old entity which specializes in car design, but things took an interesting turn back in 2015 when Mahindra took over the Italian company. Mahindra promised some path breaking products as a result of this deal and now 4 years later comes the Battista, the world’s first luxury electric hyper performance GT. Named after the company’s founder Battista Farina, the car promises to deliver on a long-held Pininfarina family dream and a new target of zero emissions with extreme power.
The Battista is the first solely Pininfarina-badged car and when it arrives in 2020, it will be the most powerful car ever designed and built in Italy (land of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati). The car is faster than a current Formula 1 race car in its 0 -100 km/h sub-two second sprint, with a whopping 1,900 hp and 2,300 Nm torque on tap. This means it will deliver a level of performance that is unachievable today in any road-legal sports car featuring internal combustion engine technology. And in case you’re forgetting it’s electric.
The car is the same design principle of form and function in harmony as seen in classic Pininfarina cars reaching back to the Cisitalia 202 of 1947 and through more than 100 Ferraris, the most recent of which was launched this decade. No more than 150 Battistas will be hand-crafted in Italy and allocated equally between the regions of North America, Europe and Middle East/Asia. There will be options to fully personalise each car.
Tata Altroz/ Buzzard/ H2X concept
The 89th Geneva Motor Show was a special one for Tata Motors as the company revealed its next generation passenger vehicles which included four global premiers. These are the Altroz, Altroz EV, Buzzard —Geneva Edition and the show stopper of the event, the H2X Concept. All these global products are based on the two new architecture strategies.
Shown as the 45X at the 2018 Delhi Auto Expo, the Altroz is the second product designed under IMPACT 2.0 design language from Tata motors. It aims at reinventing the urban car design with greater emphasis on bringing connectivity and everyday mobility together. The company says it is an amalgamation of revolutionary design, advanced technology, class leading connectivity and thrilling performance. With the Altroz, Tata Motors will enter the premium hatchback segment in India, later this year.
Along with the electric version of the car the Altroz EV—though with different hearts, the cars have been designed and developed on the all-new Agile Light Flexible Advanced (ALFA) Architecture depicting a radical new approach to design. With lightweight, modular and flexible characteristics, it allows the manufacturing of multiple body styles with a choice of power trains including gasoline, diesel or full electric. Tata says flexible solutions in the Architecture also make it capable of handling connected/ hybrid car offerings in future.
Adding to the lineup, Tata Motors unveiled its flagship SUV based on the land Rover OMEGA Architecture, the Buzzard—Geneva Edition. This is a 7-seater version of the recently launched Harrier SUV. Tata is calling the SUV a perfect balance of exclusivity and functionality and the new flagship SUV will also be launched in India in 2019.
But the star attraction at the Tata stall at Geneva was the H2X Concept, a sub-compact SUV. Also based on the new ALFA Architecture, this concept shows the future design direction of Tata Motors under the IMPACT 2.0 design. It takes successful design cues from the H5X Concept and condenses them into an appealing package with intelligently designed space.
Rolls-Royce
Another car maker with a strong India connect historically Rolls-Royce Motor Cars returned to the Geneva Motor Show and showcased its full current product portfolio for the first time on an international stage. The marque presented one of an extraordinary collection of 25 Phantoms known as the Tranquility. These will be available as both Phantom and Phantom Extended Wheelbase, which discerning collectors have already purchased. Many attributes in the car are an ode to the British Skylark space rocket. Elements are also inspired by the historic NASA “Voyager” satellites. Space exploration is further manifested with a unique first for Rolls-Royce; the incorporation of meteorite within the Volume Controller. The first publicly-revealed Bespoke Cullinan commission was also shown at Geneva. In addition, two powerful visions of Black Badge and a highly Bespoke Dawn were also revealed.
Shams Naqvi is an anchor/producer for the News X motor show Living Cars