The Italian design house brings a category-defying concept to CES, but its actual agenda is closer to engineering platforms.
The name Italdesign is familiar enough if you've been attending concours events for years. And even if you haven't, you'll still know what the Italian design house's history is closely tied to Giorgetto Giugiaro.
But finding the carrozzeria's physical footprint in North America has been a much harder task than simply finding an example of one of its designs on the road.
Now, Italdesign has revealed plans to open its US headquarters, and is preparing to call Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, its American home.
The storied design house also considered California and Ohio—no surprise with the West Coast runner-up—but ultimately chose to settle near the Motor City.
And there are a few good reasons for this.
"The United States play a key role in our global strategy: partnering with major automotive players providing the widest range of services today available on the market," said Antonio Casu, Italdesign Global CEO. "From Styling and Engineering to prototyping, testing and validation, and complete vehicle development…. Who else could provide such a range of services?"But the number of jobs expected to be brought to the area isn't vast.
The company expects to bring 24 jobs to the area as part of its expansion, and also over $20 million in investments that are expected to benefit the local economy.
Italdesign will also benefit from a $200,000 performance-based grant from the Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP).
One of the more memorable efforts by Italdesign in recent years was a rebodied Nissan GT-R50, just 50 examples of which were built to celebrate the nameplate's 50th anniversary in 2019. Italdesign had also been busy in recent years working with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) on a modular platform for electric cars.
Its show car at CES this month, however, could best be described as Australian-style ute pickup crossed with a 2+2 Italian GT, and dubbed the Quintessenza.
Boasting a massive 150-kWh battery and three electric motors producing a combined 777 hp, the concept is a showcase of Italdesign's prototyping and engineering prowess.
"The Quintessenza caters to the desires and requirements of free-spirited, youthful individuals seeking a vehicle for urban travel with their families, but who also like to get away and explore nature," Italdesign noted.
But we probably wouldn't hold our breath regarding its production chances, even if the 777-hp electric platform with three motors sounds like a recipe for a luxury roadster deep-pocketed buyers might want at some point.
Italdesign's bread and butter these days, as with most Italian design houses that have survived the past few decades, is closer to contract engineering, prototyping and other forms of vehicle development for automakers large and small.
The recent surge in EV startups has certainly helped Italdesign stay afloat globally, even if particularly imaginative concepts rarely make their way into production. This is why Italdesign's longer-term plans are largely aimed at working with Michigan's existing auto industry.
"Having an operational headquarters in Michigan is essential to effectively support our American customers," said Fabrizio Mina, Italdesign USA CEO. "This local presence allows us to respond promptly to their needs, and to provide a personalized and high-quality service to the large industry or startups wishing to enter the automotive sector."
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