By Matt DeLorenzo
It’s been 20 years since Leonardo Fioravanti left Pininfarina to set up his own design house, so to commemorate the anniversary, he has created the futuristic Hidra concept, a sleek 2-box 5-door study.
Similar in appearance to last year’s Thalia, the Hidra, like most Fioravanti concepts, is designed to showcase a particular technology and not necessarily something found under the hood. The company says simply that the Hidra could be powered by any combination of hybrid powertrains. Indeed, the concept’s spacious cabin and traditional layout could accommodate either existing gasoline/electric combos or future fuel-cell systems.The novelty of the Hidra, however, is its windshield wiperless glass area. According to Fioravanti, the concept uses a combination of aerodynamics and a special coating to keep the glass surfaces clean. The windows on the car are coated with a special substance that includes “nano dust,” which pushes dirt and water outward to the edges of the glass. When the vehicle reaches a certain speed, this material is blown off the car. The coating also protects the vehicle’s interior from harmful ultraviolet rays that can damage plastic dash surfaces and upholstery. Fioravanti predicts that the coating could be commercially viable within five years.
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