Photo: Pininfarina
Things are far from rosy at Pininfarina, as you probably already know, with the Italian brand registering a 4.4 million euros (nearly 5 million dollars) loss in the first half of this year. That brings the total debt to a staggeringly high 52.7 million euros (close to $60 million), a level way too high for such a small company.
The bad news continues for this last of the major independent Italian design houses, with Mahindra taking a step back from the proposed acquisition process and reconsidering its options. The latest word on the street is the talks will resume in September, but they are "very cautious” and would like to invest in Pininfarina “at the lowest possible price.” Generally speaking, wouldn't we all?
With such a high debt hanging over its head and with the employed workforce dwindling every month, we could be the witnesses of the sad ending for Battista “Pinin” Farina's company.
That's why every product that Pininfarina launches right now could be its last, so over time, it could turn into a true investment with its price going sky-high in a few (good) years time.
Leaving these investment-broker advices aside, the one Pininfarina product we'd like to talk about right now is this bicycle developed together with De Rosa.
Named De Rosa SK Pininfarina, the bike is aimed primarily at triathletes as it's not just beautiful, but also highly functional. It is almost entirely made out of carbon fiber, including the seat (ouch) and handlebar stern, for example. The end result is a total weight of 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg), a number which will make a lot of tired triathletes very happy one day.
Since Pininfarina is one of the first companies to actually own a wind tunnel, it was heavily used for developing the bicycle's shape for lowest possible drag.
What we have in the end is a bicycle that's both elegant and practical available in a selection of colors and, probably, sizes. For a lot more technical information on the bike, you can check out the press release below.
With such a high debt hanging over its head and with the employed workforce dwindling every month, we could be the witnesses of the sad ending for Battista “Pinin” Farina's company.
That's why every product that Pininfarina launches right now could be its last, so over time, it could turn into a true investment with its price going sky-high in a few (good) years time.
Leaving these investment-broker advices aside, the one Pininfarina product we'd like to talk about right now is this bicycle developed together with De Rosa.
Named De Rosa SK Pininfarina, the bike is aimed primarily at triathletes as it's not just beautiful, but also highly functional. It is almost entirely made out of carbon fiber, including the seat (ouch) and handlebar stern, for example. The end result is a total weight of 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg), a number which will make a lot of tired triathletes very happy one day.
Since Pininfarina is one of the first companies to actually own a wind tunnel, it was heavily used for developing the bicycle's shape for lowest possible drag.
What we have in the end is a bicycle that's both elegant and practical available in a selection of colors and, probably, sizes. For a lot more technical information on the bike, you can check out the press release below.
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