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Pagani has no plans to make electric cars after conducting a four-year study into whether they would be suitable for the brand.

Company boss Horacio Pagani thinks that EVs are too heavy and lack emotion, and that most of the energy they use is not sustainably produced.

He also believes that the climate impact of supercars is so small that their use of an internal combustion engine, however big, is in a broad context largely irrelevant.

“In 2018, I created a team working on fully electric cars,” he told Autocar at the recent Milan Monza motor show.

This team’s primary responsibility was looking at global homologation for Pagani to create such cars, particularly for the US, and for safety, both of which could be delivered. However, “in four years, we never found interest in the supercar market” for an EV, said Pagani.

He added: “At the moment, 90% of energy is produced without renewables. It’s silly to think that only a few supercars [in the world] with ICEs can have a negative impact on the climate when 90% of energy is produced in a bad way.”

Pagani’s studies also showed that it would need to use a 600kg battery in an EV, which is more than half the Huayra R’s total weight (1070kg).

However, Pagani also believes that the performance of electric cars is excessive.

“I own a Tesla to understand EVs, and it’s not necessary to have such high performance in them,” he said.

“The challenge is to make an EV that gives good emotion like a normal ICE. Pagani isn’t going to do something just with good performance, as you can do this [now], but to give emotion to the driver.

“The idea should be to make a lightweight car, but this is the biggest challenge. The dream would be a 1300kg EV, but this isn’t possible.”

Mercedes-Benz provides the marque with its V12 engine and other key systems, and Pagani said his firm has access to this technology if it needs it.

He believes that Mercedes continues to be an ideal partner and enjoys working with the German giant.

“Mercedes is a big company, but you can still sit in front of a few people who decide, speak to them and be listened to,” said Pagani.

He added that the style and visual drama of his cars remains hugely significant – as does making them approachable to drive. “If you work only on the dynamics, all the cars end up the same,” he said. “Spend time on the fashion and the style and you get something wonderful.

“Our target is to make the cars easy to drive. Gentlemen drivers are able to drive the Huayra R very easily.”

Other philosophies include providing exceptional customer service, enabling buyers to take their car on track and ensuring that it remains accessible on the road – something Pagani believes Ferrari does best of all.

Also important is making Pagani cars easy to live with, exemplified by the 10,000km service intervals on the engine, despite it being a V12 revving all the way to 9000rpm.

“We don’t want extreme cars,” said Pagani. “We want easy cars that aren’t nerveracking for gentlemen drivers.”

Pagani is also proud of the residual values of his cars, the company having built 450 or so examples of the Zonda and Huayra over the past two decades.

“Some Zondas are now 10 times the initial price,” he said. “The Cinque is now 20 times.”

The firm’s waiting list has for the past decade remained at around three years, and it has already found buyers for the first 100 examples of the new Pagani C10, which it will unveil in September. “These have all been sold even before it has been revealed,” said Pagani.

He added, however, that he never gets complacent about demand and remains respectful of market conditions that could affect his company, because many of its customers work in financial services.

“We’re a success, but a lot can happen suddenly,” he said. “There’s a difference between success at the moment and foresight of the future.”

To that end, he invests a huge amount in R&D, typically around 20% of revenue.

“We’re one of the top companies that invests in the future. We usually invest 20%. Last year, it was 14%,” said Pagani. “It’s like a race: you can stop, but when it restarts, you’re at the back. Even if you have no new car, you’re investing.”

Pagani currently builds around one car per week, up from around one car per month a decade ago.

What’s in Pagani’s garage?

Horacio Pagani is about as big a car enthusiast as you could imagine, having grown up in Argentina idolising F1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio, who eventually became his friend and introduced him to Mercedes-Benz.

Pagani spent many years at Lamborghini, joining as a teenager after moving to Italy. Before launching his own firm, he became an early innovator with carbonfibre – an area he continues to pursue today through a subsidiary company.

What is this car lover’s all-time favourite, then?

“It’s a 1963 Jaguar E-Type Roadster,” said Pagani. “That’s my favourite car.”

And of modern times?

“The Ford GT is the most beautiful of the recent cars.”

What about other car makers?

“I like Porsche; I like going to their events. I just love cars. I have a Ferrari F12tdf, and my jewel is a Ferrari 275 GTB. It’s chassis number one, which they used for homologation.”

The high-riding Kia Xceed hatchback is due a mid-life facelift, bringing updated styling, an enhanced cabin and an all-electrified powertrain line-up. 

The subtly updated Citroën C4 rival will continue to be offered with a choice of mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options, but the 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines offered at launch are set to be discontinued. 

Currently, the electrified Xceed offering comprises a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol with a 48V mild-hybrid system, capable of a claimed 55.4mpg; and a plug-in hybrid comprising a 1.6-litre petrol engine and an 8.9kWh battery pack that powers an electric motor for up to 36 miles at a time. 

There’s no word on whether either of these variants will be discontinued or upgraded, but the electrification of the Xceed line-up could have it receive the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol mild-hybrid available in the closely related Kia Stonic. 

The updated Xceed will also bring fresh interior and exterior styling, as previewed in official sketches of the 2023 model ahead of its official unveiling next week.

The images look to show a bolder, sharper look than the current model, with lights similar to the newer Kia EV6 but still keeping the distinctive Kia front grille.

Inside, Kia says to expect an enhanced interior over the current model, which was released in 2019. It currently offers an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system as standard, with pricer trim levels bringing in a 10.25in screen.

The facelift also brings with it a new GT-Line trim, for the first time in the Xceed range. Available on other Kia models, expect extras to include a wireless phone charger, GT-Line badges and details, as well as tweaks to the exterior look. Plusher internal materials could also be available with the trim.

Prices for the Xceed currently start at £21,835, but prices are expected to be raised in line with its newly electrified powertrain options.

The Xceed is currently the best-selling Ceed variant in the UK, accounting for 51% of all Ceed sales and around 10% of Kia UK sales.

Major battery supplier Panasonic has claimed its new technology could increase range by 20%, allowing for roomier and lighter EVs.

The Japanese company is working to make its batteries more energy-dense. This would mean the same size pack could deliver a longer range and give manufacturers the chance to use smaller batteries without forfeiting any distance.

To do this, Panasonic plans to use a new mix of additives to allow individual cells to run at a higher voltage without damaging the battery’s performance, chief technology officer Shoichiro Watanabe told Reuters.

He said the firm plans to roll out this new technology in stages over several years, then advance it enough to hit its 20% target by 2030. However, he didn’t confirm how far away the first implementation of this chemistry into batteries would be.

When its goal is achieved, the Long Range variant of the Tesla Model Y could increase its range by 62 miles from 331 to 393. Panasonic is a long-standing supplier of battery parts to Tesla.

“The race among battery makers has been to come up with more potent and effective additives,” Watanabe said.

He added that, as the battery system is the most expensive element of an EV, anything that can improve performance, as well as lower costs, will help to draw more investment.

The new battery chemistry would also be combined with another new technology that Panasonic is working on, which it says can slow a battery’s degradation at a higher voltage.

This is important to its goal, because higher voltages allow for an increased ability to store energy but subsequently reduce battery performance in the long term.

Speaking to Reuters, Shirley Meng, a professor at the University of Chicago, said that “improving energy density by 20% is entirely possible” but only if Panasonic can deliver on the improvements described.