Pininfarina Unveils the Pura Vision SUV Concept

• This concept is a highly styled SUV that shows what to expect from Pininfarina in the electric age.

• Details about the powertrain have yet to be announced.

• The public will see it in person for the first time during the Monterey Car Week.

Italian design firm Pininfarina unveiled a new concept that showcases what an electric SUV penned by its staff might look like in the coming years.

The Pura Vision SUV concept is a highly styled vehicle that looks deceptively small due to its numerous curves and its flowing lines.

Indeed, while pictures seem to depict a high-riding sedan like the Toyota Crown from the front, a look at the rear end confirms this model is an SUV of sorts.

In reality, the concept is 10 millimetres longer than the long-wheelbase Jeep Grand Cherokee L and almost exactly the same width when the mirrors are included.

Despite what seems like a generous amount of ground clearance, the sleek roofline leads to the concept being only about 1 centimetre higher overall than the BMW i7 sedan.

As is expected from a concept coming from a renowned design house, the Pura Vision benefits from many stand-out features such as the floating glass roof which integrates an oval “Biscotto” center section which is surrounded by LED lights and supports the curved one-piece side windows which are part of the tri-opening doors.

From what can be seen in the pictures provided, these doors combine a traditional forward opening element and a rearward opening rear section in order to form a clamshell opening.

Unlike Rolls-Royce which also uses a similar door design on its sedans, the concept doesn’t feature a center pillar and the side windows lift upward in order to make for easy entry and exit to the front and rear seats.

Up front, the Pura Vision is characterized by an athletic appearance that makes use of hidden headlamps while the rear end features a forward-canted back glass that leads to a rounded rear fascia.

This makes for a very modern SUV, but Pininfarina also took inspiration from its heritage to develop the proportions of the concept, such as the 1947 Cisitalia 202 which is the first car to have integrated the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Inside, the SUV is inspired by luxury sailing yachts with its “floating” seats and the center console which is designed to look like the boom of a sail.

Unlike most vehicles currently on the market, the Pura Vision doesn’t feature a center screen mounted on the dashboard, preferring a moveable display which stores lower on the center console when not in use.

Pininfarina has yet to give any details about the powertrain of this model, but this information might not be very relevant since the company says not to think of this concept as a preview of a particular future product, but rather as a display of the possibilities brought by the move to electric power in the SUV segment.

Visitors of the Monterey Car Week show which will be held later this month in California will be among the first to see the Pura Vision SUV concept in the flesh since its maker chose this prestigious event for the public debut of its latest creation.

Source: InsideEVs