Polish Govt-Backed Izera’s Upcoming EV With Ties To Italy, India And China | V3Cars

Izera Announces Design Tie Up With Mahindra-Owned Pininfarina

On March 21 this year, ElectroMobility Poland signed a joint venture with Pininfarina, the renowned design house that is now owned by Mahindra Group. Founded in 1930, Pininfarina is world renowned for designing cars such as the Ferrari Testarossa, Alfa Romeo Brera and the Ford Ka, among others. In December 2015, Mahindra announced they would acquire a controlling stake in the then struggling company. After the takeover, the Pininfarina brand became a full-fledged EV manufacturer with the launch of the B0 4-door hatchback and Battista (image below), an electric hypercar capable of hitting 0-100kmph in just 2 seconds.

As part of the latest tie up with Izera, Pininfarina will design a range of electric cars for the Polish EV maker. These models will include an SUV, a hatchback and a station wagon. The collaboration involves the design of the exterior, interior and HMI (Human Machine Interface) of the 3 cars. As part of the tie up between the 2 brands, Izera will set the directions for the design of their upcoming EVs and Pininfarina will play a crucial role in developing them. The aim of the collaboration is to leverage the stylistic DNA showcased during the public presentation of Izera prototypes in 2020 and update the brand's unique stylistic language so that it accommodates the parameters of the platform that underpins the upcoming EVs. Speaking of platforms, the upcoming electric cars will be built on Geely’s SEA platform, which brings us neatly towards Izera’s collaboration with the Chinese brand.

Note: Check out the list of Electric Cars in India

Izera-Geely Tie Up For EV Platform

Izera’s tie up with Geely was announced in November 2021. Geely is China’s largest privately-owned automotive technology group and own a majority stake in international brands such as Volvo, Lynk & Co, Lotus and Benelli, among others. As part of the collaboration, Geely will license its pure-electric Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) to Izera for its upcoming EVs and also serve as a technology partner to the Polish brand’s first series of vehicles.

The SEA platform is just what an up and coming electric vehicle brand needs as it is highly scalable, from A-segment hatchbacks to D-segment SUVs and larger commercial vehicles. Izera say the tie up will reduce software development time significantly, which could help them price their cars competitively and help Poland achieve its target of shifting to pure electric vehicles.

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Upcoming Izera EV Roadmap

Izera have already confirmed 2 C-segment electric vehicles – a hatchback and an SUV. Izera’s 5-door SUV prototype showcased in 2020 features a soft, elegant and modern look. Izera’s proposed design for their SUV is a departure from Mahindra’s edgy and sporty design concepts like the BE.05 (2025 launch), BE.07 and BE.09. To my eyes at least, Izera’s prototype 4-door C-segment hatchback looks like a softer version of the Tata Altroz. That said, the final design of both cars could look different, now that Pininfarina is onboard.

As far as powertrains and electric motor specifications are concerned, not much data is available. However, Izera’s website claims their upcoming EVs will offer a range of 400km and hit 0-100kmph in 7 seconds. So it’s safe to assume that Izera’s upcoming cars won’t be breaking any new ground but offer similar levels of performance and range as their EV rivals in Europe. Apart from these details, Izera’s website promises features such as: 

• Flat-bottom steering wheel with programmable buttons and heating feature
• Adjustable energy recovery mode (brake energy regeneration)
• Twin connected screens for infotainment and driver information
• 2-zone automatic climate control

Izera’s upcoming electric hatchback, SUV and station wagon will be produced at a new factory in Jaworzno, Silesia, an industrial district in Poland. Construction of the new factory will begin in 2024 and the first cars are expected to roll off the production line by the end of 2025. With the help of Mahindra-owned Pininfarina and China’s Geely, the Polish government-back EV maker aims to bolster the Polish automotive industry and positively impact the domestic research and development sector, while helping reduce the country’s carbon emissions.

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