Few design companies carry the cultural weight of Pininfarina. Founded in Turin in 1930 by Battista “Pinin” Farina, the company has spent nearly a century shaping the way the world thinks about beauty, form and innovation. With a portfolio spanning over 1,300 automotive and mobility projects and more than 650 in architecture, product design and digital experiences, it has worked with Ferrari, Maserati and AMG-Mercedes, designed the Control Tower at Istanbul’s new airport, created landmark residential developments from Brazil to the Arabian Gulf, and most recently styled the JAS Tensei, a limited-series reinterpretation of the first-generation Honda NSX that draws on a creative relationship with Honda stretching back to 1984. The company has won more than 70 international design awards in the last decade alone and remains the only design house in the world with its own wind tunnel.
At the helm is Paolo Dellachà, a mechanical engineer by training whose career has taken him from the test tracks and development programmes of Ferrari and Maserati to the leadership of one of Italy’s most recognised creative institutions. He joined Automobili Pininfarina in 2018 and played a central role in bringing the Battista to market before becoming CEO of Pininfarina S.p.A. in 2023. In the interview that follows, he discusses what it means to lead a company with that kind of history, how Pininfarina’s design philosophy travels across industries, and why the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence will define the next generation of great design.
You began your career as an engineer at Ferrari, before taking on senior roles at Maserati and ultimately leading the creation of the Battista. How has that experience shaped your vision for Pininfarina, and what does an engineering background give a leader of a world-class design company?
“My career has always been driven by the intersection of engineering rigour and emotional design. At Ferrari and Maserati, I learned that performance is never only about numbers, it is about creating an experience that people feel instinctively. With the Battista, we demonstrated that extreme innovation and timeless beauty can coexist naturally. At Pininfarina, that philosophy becomes even more important.
“An engineering background gives you a very practical understanding of what is possible, but it also teaches discipline, precision and respect for execution. In a design company, creativity must eventually become reality. The role of leadership is to create an environment where designers, engineers and strategists work together seamlessly, because the most iconic projects are always born from collaboration between emotion and technology.”
Founded in 1930, Pininfarina has created some of the most beautiful and influential cars ever made, with a portfolio of over 1,300 automotive and mobility projects. As CEO, how do you harness that legacy to drive the business forward, and what makes the Pininfarina name so powerful as a commercial force?
“Pininfarina’s legacy is an extraordinary responsibility, but also an incredible strategic asset. For nearly a century, the company has represented elegance, innovation and the ability to shape culture through design. That reputation was earned project by project, through consistency and an uncompromising pursuit of beauty. The challenge today is not simply to preserve that heritage, but to make it relevant for the future. We do this by applying the same values that defined the great automotive masterpieces of the past; purity, proportion, innovation and humanity, across new industries and new technologies.
“The Pininfarina name has global power because it stands for trust. Clients know that when they work with us, they are not only receiving a design service; they are accessing a philosophy and a vision capable of elevating a product, a building or an entire brand.”
Pininfarina has grown from its automotive roots, with over 650 projects spanning architecture, yachts, consumer products, and digital design, and more than 70 international awards. How does working across so many world-class sectors strengthen the company’s creative thinking, and what does it say about the reach of the Pininfarina design philosophy?
“Working across automotive, architecture, product design, mobility and digital experiences creates a unique creative ecosystem. Ideas move continuously between disciplines. Aerodynamic thinking from automotive can influence architecture; human-centred spatial design can inspire vehicle interiors; digital interaction can reshape the way people experience luxury products. This cross-pollination is one of Pininfarina’s greatest strengths. It allows us to avoid repetition and constantly challenge ourselves creatively.
“More importantly, it demonstrates that the Pininfarina philosophy is not limited to cars. It is a broader design culture focused on harmony between beauty, functionality and innovation. Whether we are designing a hypercar, a residential tower or a yacht, the objective is always the same: creating timeless experiences that improve the relationship between people and their environment.”
Pininfarina has its own wind tunnel in Grugliasco, Turin, dedicated to aerodynamic and aeroacoustic research. How significant is that advantage, and how do you see it becoming even more valuable as aerodynamic performance takes centre stage in the electric vehicle era?
“Our wind tunnel in Grugliasco is a tremendous advantage because it allows us to integrate aerodynamics into the creative process from the very beginning. Traditionally, aerodynamics and styling were often seen as competing priorities. At Pininfarina, we believe the best design solutions emerge when those disciplines evolve together. In the electric era, this becomes even more critical. Aerodynamic efficiency directly affects range, performance, comfort and energy consumption. Aeroacoustics are also increasingly important because electric vehicles are naturally quieter, which makes every sound more perceptible.
“What is exciting is that aerodynamics is becoming a new form of design language. Efficiency no longer needs to compromise beauty. In fact, some of the most elegant forms are often the most efficient. Our ability to combine scientific research with emotional design is something that will become increasingly valuable in the years ahead.”
The JAS Tensei is an exciting project, built on carefully selected first-generation NSX donor cars. It carries an entirely new carbon-fibre body styled by Pininfarina, and feels like a perfect expression of what Pininfarina does best. What drew the company to this collaboration, and what does the Tensei say about the continuing importance of coachbuilding to the Pininfarina story?
“The JAS Tensei is a fascinating project because it combines heritage, craftsmanship and advanced engineering in a very authentic way. The original NSX is already an icon, admired for its purity and technical sophistication, and the opportunity to reinterpret it through a contemporary Pininfarina lens was extremely compelling. What attracted us was the seriousness of the vision behind the project. It was not about nostalgia alone; it was about creating something emotionally meaningful while applying modern technologies, materials and aerodynamic thinking.
“Creating unique cars has always been central to Pininfarina’s identity. Historically, it represented the ability to transform a mechanical platform into an object of beauty and individuality. Today, that spirit still matters because there is growing demand for unique, highly curated experiences. Projects like the Tensei show that craftsmanship and exclusivity remain deeply relevant, even in a highly technological era.”
Recent architectural projects include the Control Tower at Istanbul’s new airport, the Palazzo Tissoli development in Ras Al Khaimah, and the Savassi residential project in Brazil, which won the American Architecture Award 2025. What does Pininfarina bring to architecture that sets it apart, and why are clients at that level choosing an Italian design house for their most significant projects?
“In architecture, Pininfarina brings a very distinctive combination of emotional design, aerodynamic thinking and Italian cultural sensitivity. We approach buildings almost as living objects, considering not only their functionality, but also the way people emotionally experience them over time. Clients choose Pininfarina because they are looking for more than technical competence. They want identity, elegance and international resonance. Italian design carries enormous cultural credibility worldwide because it has historically combined artistry with innovation in a very human way.
“What differentiates us is our multidisciplinary perspective. We are accustomed to designing experiences, not simply objects or structures. Whether it is an airport tower, a luxury residential project or a hospitality environment, our ambition is always to create places that inspire emotion while remaining highly functional and sustainable.”
How do you identify the right opportunities for the brand, and what has to be true about a project before Pininfarina puts its name to it?
“The first question we ask is very simple: does this project align with our values and vision? Pininfarina’s name carries nearly a century of credibility, so every collaboration must reflect the standards associated with the brand. We look for projects where design can genuinely create value, not merely aesthetics applied superficially. There must be ambition, authenticity and a willingness from the client to pursue the highest standard together.
“We are particularly interested in projects that challenge conventions and allow us to innovate responsibly. Ultimately, a Pininfarina project should have a lasting quality, something that goes beyond trends and contributes positively to culture, mobility or the built environment.”
Bringing the Battista from concept to customer delivery was one of the standout achievements, and you were central to making it happen. What did that process teach you about leading exceptional teams around a shared goal, and how does it inform the way you run Pininfarina today?
“Bringing the Battista to life was an extraordinary journey because it required the alignment of many different talents, disciplines and cultures around a single vision. Creating a car at that level means dealing simultaneously with extreme performance, advanced technology, craftsmanship and emotional storytelling. One of the biggest lessons was the importance of clarity and shared purpose.
“Exceptional teams perform best when everyone understands not only what they are building, but why it matters. Leadership is about creating trust, empowering expertise and maintaining ambition even when challenges arise. That experience strongly influences how I lead Pininfarina today. Innovation only happens when people feel inspired, respected and connected to a larger vision. My role is to ensure that our teams have both the freedom to create and the discipline to execute at the highest level.”
At the heart of everything Pininfarina does is a belief in humanising innovation and technology, an idea applied with conviction across nearly a century of work. With artificial intelligence reshaping both the design process and the products being designed, how does a company with that philosophy continue to lead, and what do you think the most exciting design opportunities of the next decade will look like?
“Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly transform the design industry, but I believe its greatest value will be as an amplifier of human creativity rather than a replacement for it. At Pininfarina, we have always believed in humanising technology, making innovation feel intuitive, emotional and meaningful. That principle becomes even more important in the AI era. AI can accelerate processes, analyse complexity and generate new possibilities, but true design still depends on human sensitivity, cultural understanding and emotional intelligence.
“People do not fall in love with algorithms; they connect with stories, beauty and experiences. The most exciting opportunities of the next decade will emerge where technology becomes increasingly invisible and seamlessly integrated into everyday life. We will see mobility experiences that are more personalised and sustainable, architecture that responds intelligently to human behaviour and environments that adapt dynamically to users’ needs. The challenge for designers will not simply be creating smarter products, but creating products and experiences that feel more human, more emotional and ultimately more timeless.”