Ever since India's Mahindra conglomerate bought Italian design house Pininfarina last winter, the rumor mill has been running especially wild. Now, Mahindra's CEO has indicated that a Pininfarina-badged supercar with a fully electric powertrain may be on the way.
British automotive magazine Auto Express reports that the electrified supercar would be Pininfarina's first road-going vehicle not commissioned for someone else, whether a private buyer or a large automaker. Mahindra itself has invested heavily in electrified vehicles, including an electric runabout sold in Europe and designed specifically for tight spaces. Additionally, Mahindra is a major competitor in Formula E, the FIA's all-electric car racing series.
It isn't clear just what Mahindra has in mind for an electric car badged as a Pininfarina, but the British magazine speculates that the car could be the first bonafide rival to Tesla if Mahindra chooses a more practical sedan shape over an attention-grabbing supercar.
Pininfarina has had a hand in creating electric supercar show cars like the H2 Speed (pictured) that it built for a Swiss firm and then displayed at this year's Geneva Motor Show. That car featured a combination of electric motors and a hydrogen fuel cell in an effort to provide low-guilt sports car thrills. Something like that wouldn't be bound for showrooms unless it could be marketed as an ultra mega-buck hypercar, however.
So, there are three possibilities here. First, this could just be wishful thinking, Second, Auto Express could be right and this car could be a real Tesla rival. Third, and perhaps most likely given the statement by Mahindra's CEO, we will get a Pininfarina electric supercar. How this plays out should be fun to watch.