IAAD. one of most distinguished and best-known Design schools worldwide
17 students from around the world have enrolled for 15-month course
Dave Amantea, Chief Design Officer at Automobili Pininfarina, to help judge thesis submissions
Accompanying assets available to download here
CAMBIANO, ITALY – 30 OCTOBER 2024
Automobili Pininfarina is delighted to announce it is to sponsor the 2025 Master’s thesis in Transportation Design at the prestigious IAAD. Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design in Turin, Italy.
IAAD. is part of an international network headed by AD Education, a leader in France amongst the private entities related to teaching design and applied arts and one of the leading protagonists in this sector in Europe.
The Group has 19 schools, 70 campuses, 36,000 students, 2,600 teachers and an integrated teaching system in five languages consisting of around 160 courses divided between the three-year and Master’s programme.
Now in its 15th year, the Master's programme has 17 students from Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, India, and South Korea. All have previously received a Bachelor’s degree in subjects including Industrial Design, Product Design and Mechanical Engineering.
At IAAD. they are studying topics such as vehicle architecture, car design history, exterior and interior design, sketching, 3D design, illustration, and presentation techniques.
Automobili Pininfarina will provide a series of special lectures led by experts from various fields, including CMF, Exterior Design, Interior Design, Experience Design, and Marketing. These sessions will ensure that students gain hands-on knowledge and exposure to the latest industry practices, while benefiting from the insights and expertise of professionals from one of the world’s most visionary automotive brands.
The course is conducted by highly experienced lecturers, with the project leader at IAAD. the distinguished designer Davide Tealdi. Highly respected guests from the automotive design industry are regularly invited to lead workshops. Dave Amantea, Chief Design Officer at Automobili Pininfarina, has made multiple appearances over the years and will again join the faculty members to evaluate the students’ thesis submissions.
Dave Amantea commented: “This is fantastic collaboration that will give many members of the Automobili Pininfarina design team the chance to interact with and inspire the next generation of global design talent. That is a genuine honour and a privilege; everyone is delighted to be involved.”
Dario Olivero, Masters’ Coordinator from IAAD., added: “This partnership with Automobili Pininfarina gives our students an exceptional opportunity to interact with industry professionals and gain real-world insights. Working with an Italian brand that carries such a prestigious heritage is truly unique, and it offers our students not only access to cutting-edge design practices but also the chance to learn from the rich traditions of Italian automotive excellence. The exposure they receive through this collaboration is invaluable and reflects the strong connection between education and industry that we cultivate at IAAD.”
The students will graduate in February 2026, ready to step into the automotive industry. Approximately 90% of IAAD. graduates secure employment within one year of completing their studies.
EDITOR'S NOTES
ABOUT AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA
Automobili Pininfarina is based in operational headquarters in Cambiano, Italy, with a commercial office in Munich, Germany, and resourced with a team of experienced automotive executives from luxury and premium car brands. Designed, engineered and produced by hand in Italy, with a focus on designing experiences for the world’s foremost taste makers, all of Automobili Pininfarina’s vehicles embody the PURA design philosophy. This philosophy will also permeate all future production cars, seamlessly blending classic inspiration with cutting-edge technology.
ABOUT AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA BATTISTA (LINK TO PRESS KIT)
Battista is the most powerful car ever designed and built in Italy and it delivers a level of performance that is unachievable today in any road-legal sports car featuring internal combustion engine technology. Faster than a current Formula 1 race car in its 0 -100 km/h sub-two second sprint, and with 1,900 hp and 2,340 Nm torque on tap, the Battista combines extreme engineering and technology in a zero emissions package. Battista’s 120 kWh battery provides power to four electric motors – one at each wheel – with a combined WLTP range of up to 476 km (U.S. combined EPA: 300 miles) on a single charge. No more than 150 examples of Battista will be individually hand-crafted at the atelier in Cambiano, Italy.
