If you want to be picky, Lancia has never really completely disappeared from the market, but in recent years the brand has, to say the least, been living on artificial respiration.
In recent years, the hopelessly out-of-date small car Ypsilon has only been produced for the Italian market, and the last time the brand was sold in Sweden, it was mainly on a renamed version of the Chrysler Grand Voyager minibus.
The front shows Lancia’s new design language – Photo: Lancia/Youtube
Now the brand will have what is called a renaissance with a series of new models and first up is the new generation of Ypsilon, which this time will be an electric car.
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Why should I care?
With such an uninteresting history over the past two decades, one might wonder why the brand should even bother with a new model.
The thing to remember is that the brand is one of Italy’s most storied, and was once known for producing some of the world’s most high-tech cars.
Lancia were hard to beat for a long time in the rally scene – Photo: Lancia
In the 50s and 60s, Lancia’s cars were among the most beautiful on the road and offered unique detail solutions and world-class engineering. Later it had great success in the WRC – the World Rally Championship – with legendary models such as the Fulvia, Stratos and Delta Integrale.
Between 1974 and 1992, Lancia won the WRC drivers’ title five times, and clinched the manufacturers’ world title a total of 10 times.
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Small car luxury in Italian
Lancia’s cars for street use have always been a bit more luxurious than their siblings in the Fiat group, and this should also be the case with the new Ypsilon.
The car is the first of several planned models to showcase Lancia’s new design language, with a wide, illuminated grill in black and round taillights inspired by the iconic Stratos rally car.
The interior should resemble an Italian living room – Photo: Lancia/Youtube
The polygonal headlights, which are mounted on the corners of the bumper, are also an interesting detail.
In the interior, a lot of effort has been put into the choice of materials, which should maintain a higher quality than other Stellantis cars of the same size. The idea is that the unique design should resemble an Italian living room.
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Range of 40 miles
Lancia has not yet released the official specifications of the new Ypsilon, but will do so during a more detailed launch of the car later in February.
However, it has been said that the all-electric version of the car will have a range of 403 km thanks to a 54 kWh battery.
The rear lights are inspired by the Stratos rally car – Photo: Lancia/Youtube
The car is built on the same base plate as its group siblings such as the Peugeot e-208, Opel Corsa and Jeep Avenger, and will later also come as a hybrid.
First up, however, will be the electric car in the special version Lancia Ypsilon Limited Edition Cassina.
This version is a collaboration with the furniture manufacturer Cassina, who has contributed with color and material choices, and will only be built in 1906 examples – as a tribute to the year in which the company was founded.
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