(Apr. 19) - Beijing Automotive Group starts to speak Italian. Leonardo Fioravanti, world-renown automobile designer and Chairman of the Italian Association of the Automotive Industry (ANFIA) Car Coachbuilders Group, yesterday has officially joined the Beijing Automotive Group. Fioravanti will assume the role of chief model designer, and will unveil a new design concept for BAIC at the upcoming Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.
The Italian designer, a graduate of the Politecnico di Milano's mechanical engineering department, joined famed Italian design house and coach builder Pininfarina at 26 years of age, where he eventually headed up its research division, Pininfarina Studi & Ricerche. He personally designed eight Ferrari models, including the Dino, Daytona, 308 GTB and 288 GTO. He also oversaw the construction of Italy's first 1:1 scale wind tunnel.
Fioravanti, who has over 40 years of experience in the field of car design, also worked at Ferrari, Fiat and Alfa Romeo as deputy general manager, design center chief and director, respectively. In 2009, he was elected Chairman of the Italian Association of the Automotive Industry (ANFIA) Car Coachbuilders Group.
About this new collaboration, BAIC Executive Vice President Gu Lei remarked: "The addition of Mr. Fioravanti to BAIC will bring new life to the development of our own brand." (Peg)

ABOUT LEONARDO FIORAVANTI
Leonardo Fioravanti was born in Italy in 1938. He studied mechanical engineering at the Politecnico di Milano, specializing in aerodynamics and car body design. He studied under Professor Antonio Fessia, an accomplished engineer who in his days at Lancia was responsible for the Flaminia, Flavia and Fulvia. After graduating, Fioravanti was hired by Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1964 to work as a designer. He worked 24 years with Pininfarina, where he became Managing Director and General Manager of Pininfarina's Studi & Ricerche. He designed the Ferrari P5 and P6 concept cars, the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, the Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer, the Ferrari 308 GTB, and the Ferrari 288 GTO. The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' is considered to be his masterpiece. During the years 1988-1991 he was employed by the Fiat Group, first as deputy General Manager at Ferrari and then as head of Fiat's design centre. He founded his own company in 1987 as an architectural practice working on the Japanese market, designing homes in Tokyo and several clubhouses for golf courses in the Tokyo area. In 1991 Fioravanti diversified his activities into services to the automotive industry, focusing in particular on transport and industrial design. His company introduced many concept cars and designed a rotating hard top, which was eventually applied to the Ferrari 575 Superamerica.