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Pininfarina Could Sell to Tata Motors

After not long ago the renown Italian automobile company Bertone struggled with financial problems and was sold to Fiat, another reputed Italian car styling firm is up for sale.

The reasons are apparently the same: financial issues. The design house which created the successful style of the Alfa Romeo Brera, the Ferrari Dino, Ferrari Testarossa as well as the brand new Ferrari 458 Italia, might be sold to the Indian automaker Tata Motors.

Because of burdening debts, the Pininfarina family is forced to lose its influence and command over one of the most successful car styling companies in the world.

After a board meeting on Wednesday, an inside source said the Italian family is looking to sell a 50.7 percent stake, but will continue to remain implicated in the company's operations.... how much influence it will have remains to be seen. What is certain is that the design house already hired a bank to help it sell its majority share.

Rumors about a potential buyer credit the Indian car maker Tata Motors as a strong candidate. Because of the current constricted auto market many automakers are looking to reduce costs and keep several operations, including design and development in house, rather than outsourcing them to specialized firms.

Tata Motors, who currently controls Land Rover and Jaguar, may have another important candidate to face for the alleged take over of Pininfarina in the name of French entrepreneur Vincent Bollore. Bollore is already in the development stages of the Bluecar EV with Pininfarina.

Pininfarina is still implicated in several important contracts at the moment, such as partnerships with Ford and Volvo to produce the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet and the C70 respectively, which are sure to attract other big names as potential buyers.
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