Italdesign

Italdesign was founded in 1968 by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineer Aldo Mantovani in Moncalieri, Italy, under the name SIRP (Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi). The company quickly became an industry powerhouse, responsible for the styling and engineering of iconic vehicles such as the Volkswagen Golf Mk1, the Lotus Esprit, and the DeLorean DMC-12. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the firm evolved into a 'turnkey' partner for the global automotive industry, offering everything from initial styling sketches to full-scale production engineering and testing. In 2010, a significant shift occurred when the Volkswagen Group, through its subsidiary Lamborghini, acquired a 90.1% stake in the company. By 2015, the remaining stake was purchased, fully integrating Italdesign into the Audi Group within the Volkswagen corporate structure. This acquisition provided the firm with the financial stability and technical resources of one of the world's largest automotive groups while allowing it to maintain its identity as a creative design studio. In 2017, Italdesign launched its own high-end car brand, Italdesign Automobili Speciali, to produce extremely limited-run vehicles. This division has since released models like the Zerouno and the Nissan GT-R50 (developed in collaboration with Nissan). Today, Italdesign continues to function as a major innovation hub, working on advanced mobility solutions, autonomous vehicle concepts, and luxury coachbuilding for international clients.