Italian style to revive Lancia as electrified brand

STELLANTIS owned Lancia says its freshly unveiled third generation Ypsilon hatch will benefit from the group’s electrified e-CMP architecture in delivering a more expressive design enabling it to achieve more sales across prospective markets.

Penned collaboratively between Lancia and Cassina design studios, the Ypsilon is the brand’s first new car in 13 years and boasts an upscale cabin and sporty sheet metal the Italian brand says will help it to stand out in a crowded segment.

Further, Lancia believes the Ypsilon’s looks – and electrified driveline technology – will help  push into markets outside of Italy, currently its only market. They include the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Spain before the end of this year then Germany in 2025.

“With the new Lancia Ypsilon, the first car of the new era of the brand, we are relaunching, starting from Italy,” explained Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano.

“Its design is inspired by the brand’s glorious past, now interpreted in a modern way. The model represents the ultimate expression of onboard comfort and design, features category-leading technology and connectivity yet always simple and intuitive, in perfect Lancia style.”

The Ypsilon will offer battery electric (BEV) and mild-hybrid petrol (MHEV) drivelines and features what Mr Napolitano refers to as a Lancia Living Room interior replete with a multifunctional coffee table that allows occupants to charge their smartphones.

Initially, the Ypsilon will be sold as the Edizione Limitata Cassina with just 1906 units to be produced, the number representing the year the brand was founded (1906). The launch edition will be priced from €39,500 ($A65,330) before incentives are applied.

The Ypsilon is the first vehicle from Stellantis to be equipped with its new SALA (Sound Air Light Augmentation) system that utilises a customisable, widget-based infotainment array that also serves as a control panel for Sound (audio), Air (climate control) and Light (interior and exterior lighting).

As familiar in many segment competitors, the model uses dual 10.25-inch screens for its infotainment and instrumentation displays.

The more fashionable design of the Ypsilon – which previously appeared as a rather ungainly model in its domestic market – is aimed at “attractive, more stylish and technologically driven buyer who is attentive to environmental issues and the latest trends.”

Lancia says the Ypsilon reflects the utmost attention to every stylistic detail, from the selection of the materials to the choice of colours. Blue is used as the iconic hue of Lancia tradition, appearing both inside the car and out.

A soft blue velvet in 100 per cent recycled yarn envelops the seats with “cannelloni” pattern and double stitching, with the same colour echoed in the accents on the door panels and dashboard creating an elegant and coordinated interior space.

Lancia blue also features in the model's unique, elegant, and contemporary bodywork. It is said to blend in with the black of the alloy wheels and their dark dressing, resulting in a refined and uniform visual impact, with no chrome plating.

In true Italian style, the bodywork of the Ypsilon combines the soft, elegant, and sensual shapes of previous models – including the Aurelia and Flaminia – combined with “the most modern expressions of radicalism”, and by the language of architecture, furnishings, and fashion.

A reference to the brand’s more sporting past models (think Stratos) is seen clearly in the car’s rear, which features the iconic round LED lights.

Sharing its architecture with similarly sized Opel (Corsa-e) and Peugeot (e-208) models, the Ypsilon is 243mm longer than the current model and offers Level 2 autonomous driving assistance as standard for the first time.

In battery electric form, it features a 115kW and 260Nm single electric motor and 51kWh battery that is said to deliver a driving range of up to 403km (WLTP). The battery may be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in as little as 24 minutes, with 100km of range able to be added in just 10 minutes.

Energy consumption is rated as low as 14.3kWh per 100km.

Forty-eight-volt MHEV versions will combine a 75kW and 230Nm 1.2-litre petrol engine with a dual-clutch transmission and 21kW/55Nm electric motor and 0.9kWh battery for a combined fuel consumption figure of 4.6 litres per 100km.

Lancia has stated previously that it will move to become an all-electric brand by as early as 2026. It will next launch the mid-sized Gamma in 2026, followed by the compact Delta in 2028.

The Italian brand has no current plans to offer its vehicles in the Australian market. Lancia last sold its Beta range here in 1985, ending a 24-year run for a marque than sold models including the Flavia, Flaminia, and Fulvia.