The Pininfarina H600 is a classy hybrid sedan

il y a 7 années - 15 Mars 2017, Autoblog
Pininfarina H600 concept
Pininfarina H600 concept
The EF7 isn't the only Pininfarina creation on display at this year's Geneva show. The company has also revealed the results of its multimillion-dollar deal with Hybrid Kinetic Group to design a car.

The car is the H600, and it's a very elegant, if not the most original, sedan. It also has a hybrid powertrain that Pininfarina claims makes over 800 horsepower.

Let's get the low point out of the way. The fascia of this Pininfarina isn't particularly remarkable. The grille specifically is reminiscent of recent Maseratis, particularly the Levante, in its shape and bold vertical bars. It's not helped by the angled headlights that merge with the grille, which is a cue that is becoming more and more common. It's not a bad look by any means, but it's far from groundbreaking.

The rest of the car is much more impressive. There's nary a crease or angle on the bodywork. Everything is just long, graceful curves flowing in and out of each other. It's actually rather refreshing in a world where designers are trying to fit more and more textures and surface treatments onto cars. It all concludes to a proud tail, the highlight of which is a simple horizontal bar for the taillights.

Inside, the car continues the elegant feel with rich, dark brown leather everywhere. And where there isn't leather, there is similarly dark wood veneers. The seats themselves have a distinct midcentury look that seem inspired by the famous Eames lounge chair and ottoman. Above the seats is a longitudinally arranged sunroof like what you used to find on the mid-2000s Nissan Maxima. It is transparent during the day, and then illuminates at night. Apparently this is going to be a styling staple of future Hybrid Kinetic cars. These cues are all contrasted by a very modern dash that places translucent touch screens in every possible position. They're also illuminated in the turquoise blue that has become shorthand for "futuristic."

As for that 800-horsepower powertrain, we have to take Pininfarina at its word, since there are no official details about it, nor images of it. Supposedly an electric powertrain supplies the horsepower to all four wheels, and electricity comes from both the battery and a "micro-turbine generator," which sounds to us as though there's a little turbine engine on-board, a la Jaguar C-X75. Apparently the car is capable of a top speed of 155 mph and can get to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. It supposedly has a range of over 620 miles. But of course this is a concept, so take all of that with plenty of salt.