Eurostar Chooses Pininfarina To Restyle Interior of High Speed Trains, Pininfarina BlueCar EV Due in 2011

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
Amsterdam Bureau
The Auto Channel

TURIN, April 8. 2009; Euroepean’s train operator Eurostar has choosen Pininfarina to design the interior of its fleet of 28 high speed trains. The Italian styling company and car manufacturer was awarded the contract after an extensive selection process.

Important fo Eurostar is the fact that iPininfarina has longstanding experience in the rail industry. The company designed the in- and exteriors of Italy’s high-speed trains; trains for Danish and Norwegian and Swiss Railways; automated light rail cars in Lille, northern France; and trams for cities in Italy, Greece, Sweden and Turkey.

Pininfarina will be responsible for the full interior design, including styling and engineering, and for the exterior. The first restyled trains in the Eurostar fleet are expected to go into service in 2012.

At the moment, the Italians are developing the Pininfarina BlueCar, an electric vehicle that will go into production in 2011.