“First Paris, then Munich. What other industrial product besides the car has such public appeal? For these two events, we are talking about 1,5 million visitors who come closer to an object that continues to arouse passion." Talk like this Silvio Angori, CEO and managing director of Pininfarina, protagonist of a complex redevelopment operation of one of the historic flags of Italian industry, today a leading brand in industrial design. He, a graduate in physics at Sapienza University, a hobby editor of the "Book Index", is undoubtedly one of the most competent and passionate guides in trying to orient oneself in the four-wheeled world in a turbulent moment. An insider guide because Angori, vice-president of Anfia (the national association of the automotive industry supply chain), is to the big old and new names in the sector what a stylist is to luxury brands. He knows and keeps its secrets. Who better than him for a quick tour of the world of four wheels?
Let's start from the bottom. Was the exit of Rishi Sunak, the English prime minister who pushed forward the introduction of the electric car, expected? Will something like this happen in the European Union too?
“It was a nice surprise. Perhaps we are in time to correct the effects of a debate on mobility that has been superficial and hasty. It makes no sense to impose one technology on another by limiting the possible alternatives. The main path is to leave room for research and free work by companies. Without forgetting that the issue of sustainability is very complex with strong social repercussions because it involves millions of people who work in the automotive industry."
However, isn't there a risk of causing a general step backwards for the industry?
“I believe that Pininfarina is above all suspicion in this regard: the first electric car we worked on dates back to 1977. We have always been at the forefront in this matter. Just think of the Blue Car, the minivan presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011 but developed with Bolloré starting in 2008".
A wrong investment in the times…
“This is why I have the right to say that, after the Dieselgate outbreak, we acted hastily and superficially. And it is good that a certain rethinking is taking shape today. I say this as a citizen, not as a company man: certain topics must be explored in depth with an empirical spirit, without prejudice: there are no truths set in stone. You have to know how to correct your course in time like in a boat. Otherwise we'll crash."
We set course for the other side of the Atlantic. Last week he was in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show. What atmosphere did you find?
“All we talked about was the coming strikes. As was inevitable and as I have already seen in the past. Even in the years of the great crisis, when Detroit had two million inhabitants but you didn't dare leave the hotel in the evening. Today this city that lives on cars is a beautiful city of 8-900 thousand inhabitants with lively streets even in the evening. There has been a great recovery, I don't think these results can be called into question."
Won't the strike compromise the recovery?
"I do not believe. I was struck by Obama, under whose presidency the rebirth began, when he said that when dealing with problems like this one must always have a historical perspective to avoid getting stuck in sterile discussions. And I haven't forgotten Marchionne's lesson who argued that the cost of labor represents a modest percentage of the cost of a car. No, I don't think the dispute can stop the recovery."
Let's stay in America. Indeed, in California where the first Vin Fasts arrived, the Vietnamese car that you at Pininfarina know well. But even before hitting the streets, the car landed on Wall Street with incredible numbers. How do you explain the boom?
“I can't talk about Wall Street. We contributed with great pleasure to the birth of the car and we have a close relationship with the company, an expression of the industry of a rapidly growing country, Vietnam."
But tell the truth: is it a nice car?
“You can't ask your mother if your son has grown up well. I believe that our contribution, that is, design, has a strong attraction: design is a formidable marketing tool. It's a good product that had the courage to immediately present itself in the Champions League, challenging the American market which is the most difficult."
More difficult than Europe?
“In Europe, other aesthetic and technical values count. A good product can still aspire to attract an audience of fans. In the USA it is different: the car there is just a commodity, a product that must cost little and work for a long time without too many frills".
So you can have faith in start-ups coming from Asia…
“Why wasn't Ferrari a start-up at the time? Vin Fast is a solid company with strong industrial roots. As well as Foxconn, to name another company we work with. These are two examples of companies with a solid industrial DNA, which arrived at cars after a certain path. Unlike certain projects, and we have seen many on the market, which have grown on the basis of a financial scheme created for the sole purpose of raising capital and landing on the stock exchange without a solid industrial base".
This is certainly not the case with the Chinese who are showing up with combative intentions. What effect does the arrival of BYD and the other groups in Europe starting from the Munich show have on you?
“They certainly have good cards to play on the market, at least in the lower segments, left uncovered by old competitors. Ford has given up on producing the Fiesta, Stellantis is about to archive the Punto, the Germans have long since abandoned this segment".
And so a promising space opens up
“The Chinese have the right cards to occupy it. Theirs has been a long march since 2010 when Hu Jintao launched the industrial plan to develop the car by focusing on electric. They developed batteries, an area in which they boasted mobile experience and relied on rare earths. It was a gamble, it turned out to be a winning strategic choice, the result of extraordinary technological growth."
In Brussels they see it differently. Von der Leyen lit the spotlight on the accusation of state aid
“I believe that in these cases we must rely on the rules of international trade, without compromising the functioning of the market which works better the freer it is. Mine may be a biased opinion because we work with several Chinese brands. But experience tells me that state aid today is for little compared to 15 years ago."
Beijing, for once, is innocent
“The ideal is for politics to enable everyone to operate in balance, favoring proximity to outlet markets. That's what the Japanese did in the US.
And who knows, tomorrow it might be the Chinese' turn. And who knows if, sooner or later, someone will return to choosing Italy as a production hub. It could happen?
"Absolutely yes! There are three good reasons to focus on Italy. First, an industrial fabric that boasts 130 years of experience in the automotive world. Second, supply system that is among the best in the world. I remember the anguish of the Germans when in 2020 they had to do without Italian supplies in the times of Covid. And what about the chips for the STM car; but above all I am referring to the skills, both of the companies and of the research centres: the polytechnics of Milan, Turin and the Motor Valley but also the University of Naples and the Apulian realities".
What is missing to translate this potential into a concrete offer? Spain, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are courting Tesla. What is Italian politics doing?
“It seems to me that, unlike in the past, the administrators are sensitive. And I don't rule out that we could have some nice surprises. I am not only thinking of the Stellantis program project, but also of possible aggregations or public-private joint poles. There is something in the Pnrr, much more can be done even if the money is what it is. But I am optimistic: Italy, which in the event of exit from the combustion engine has the numbers to defend its presence in the car".
Also in terms of employment?
“Of course, but here a big commitment is needed to retrain the workforce. I think we will succeed”.
Let's talk about the future. Is autonomous driving near? Or will it remain in the drawers for a while, except to come out for some performances, perhaps at the service of some financial speculation?
"Depends. If we're talking about collective transport of people on defined routes, I'd say yes, we're close. In a few months, a model we collaborated on will be released in Germany. The same goes for trucks. I think of the long caravans queuing at Brenner or Mont Blanc. It's not difficult to think about autonomous driving on the highway. But if we refer to robot taxis the situation changes: I think that the optimism of 2-3 years ago has faded. What is certain is that the characteristics of driving are becoming increasingly separated. On the one hand, driving for passion, on the other the obligation of mobility.
We are a good example. Not only are we increasingly involved in the search for beautiful products at the service of the passion of driving. But a non-secondary branch of our activity is represented by the limited series reserved for fans. It's an expanding sector."
Meanwhile the big houses snub the poor cars, see Stellantis
“It's a general phenomenon. The development of a car now involves enormous costs. Hence the need to share platforms and aim for cars capable of paying for themselves."
First you mentioned the collaboration with Foxconn, the Taiwanese giant that produces the iPhone as well as a myriad of other products. But can those who come from consumer electronics successfully enter the automotive world?
“We are talking about a leading company. Foxconn, a partner of Apple but not only, has a formidable battery of crucial technologies for the world of consumption resulting from internal research. Furthermore, it boasts a formidable production structure capable of producing one million pieces of furniture per day. And another consideration must be made..."
Say…
“Compared to companies that have been on the market for decades and have to deal with heavy depreciation, it has the advantage of being a light start-up.
What the Big Germans can't say
The German car will start again soon. Their advantage is that they do not have the burden of debt and can thus invest 2,7% of their turnover in R&D, more than double that of Italy or the French 1,8%. Soon the Germans will run again.
Also for the good of Italian industry…
“Yes, it is worth being optimistic about our future: we have the qualities”.
