Jaime Hernández Milan (Italy)

Milano, Italy)

Updated Thursday, February 15, 2024-09:06

  • Prototype The new Lancia already has its pattern of the future

  • Industry Third electric model in Zaragoza

"Today is the day when our ambitions, our dreams, come true. Today Lancia is reborn."

With these words, Luca Napolitano, CEO of Lancia, summarized what the world presentation of the new Ypsilon entails, the car that opens the new era of the Italian brand and which is already being produced at the Stellantis factory in Figueruelas (Zaragoza). In fact, it shares a good number of elements, starting with the platform, with the Opel Corsa and Peugeot 208.

Its arrival represents a rebirth of the manufacturer, after having been "hibernating" for almost a decade. The Ypsilon will be the first of the three launches planned for the coming years and

starts with a series limited to 1,906 units

(year of the creation of the brand) exclusively for the Italian market,

which is called Cassina and will be has been made in collaboration with this prestigious

home furniture designer.

The Ypsilon Cassina is a 100% electric model,

with a refined interior that stands out for its comfort and quality of finish. The ordering period has just opened and the first customers will receive it in the month of May.

Two light hybrid versions with a combustion engine

will then arrive in Italy and, in

the second half of the year,

sales will progressively begin in the European market, both of an electric variant cheaper than the Cassina, which costs 39,500 euros, and of the two hybrids. It will start with

Belgium and the Netherlands, to continue with France and Spain before the end of the year, and Germany at the beginning of 2025.

The resurgence of Lancia

It has been several years since Lancia disappeared from international markets and

its only presence was reduced to Italy,

where they have only been selling the old Ypsilon model.

The commercial success of the vehicle in the transalpine country

has made the successive owners of the Fiat Group decide to continue maintaining its production, as it is profitable enough to justify the fact that the brand has not completely disappeared.

In fact, the car has not been updated almost since 2011

but, despite this, last year it once again broke its delivery record to that loyal Italian public.

A real bargain, with hardly any investment and with good income.

The future of Lancia once again experienced an

unexpected turn when the Stellantis macrogroup was formed.

Its president, Carlos Tavares, drew up a specific plan for each of the manufacturers that make it up and, in the case of Lancia, far from letting it die, which was what most thought was going to happen,

Tavares decided to give it a chance.

The top executive of Stellantis is a great fan of

automobile competition, in which this firm has stood out throughout its history

, and this has certainly contributed to preventing its disappearance.

Luca Napolitano, CEO of Lancia

An old acquaintance in Spain

In January 2021, he appointed Luca Napolitano as president of the company.

The Italian executive had held different positions in Spain in the past, where he became the CEO of the Fiat Group and responsible for all its brands.

Tavares

tasks him with refloating it as a

premium

brand , without a requirement that it have a range to compete in all segments or in all markets. The new Ypsilon will inaugurate this new stage and to the three initial versions, it will add

a sports HF by 2025, with 240 horsepower

and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h of only 5.8 seconds.

The Ypsilon will be the only Lancia that has the option of having combustion engines for a few more years,

perhaps until the end of this decade, because

the following ones will have nothing more than 100% electric propulsion. Thus, in 2026 the Gamma model will appear,

a 4.7 meter long sedan, and

in 2028 the Delta

which, like the rest, will have little to do with its predecessors of the same name.

Compete with Audi or Mini

"Our challenge is to make Lancia a

premium

brand ,

to compete from now on with the Mini and the Audi A1," commented Luca Napolitano in a meeting with a small group of Spanish journalists.

"We are not concerned with adjusting the price, but with offering quality, comfort and service good enough

so that the customer is satisfied with what they pay." In any case, the brand's CEO acknowledged that they are going to try to retain a percentage of the many Italian customers of the current Ypsilon with an entry-level version that encourages them to make the effort to access a superior vehicle.

And the

new Lancia takes a step forward in everything, starting with size.

It grows up to 4.08 meters in length, offers avant-garde and intuitive technology and

its cabin "is the least automotive in the history of the brand",

in the words of Napolitano, because everything is focused on achieving superior comfort and its own style. of the home, the specialty of the Italian partner Cassina. The design is another key point, with a clear nod to the past in

elements such as the rear lights, which are reminiscent of the legendary Stratos, or in the shape of "cannelloni" for the velvet upholstery of the seats.

Despite these nods, the brand's leaders do not want to live on memories and seek to place their models at the technological peak.

The electric motor of the Cassina version develops 156 HP and, together with a 51 kWh battery, achieves an approved range of 403 kilometers.

The lighting system also has a futuristic image and the information and entertainment system, known by

the acronym SALA. and with two 10.25-inch screens,

it is simple and intuitive to use. Another unusual advance in vehicles of this size is the possibility of having level 2 autonomous driving, to travel safely and comfortably.

Spain, key market

Our country is going to be one of the first to reach the reborn Lancia.

Spain

is one of the most important markets in Europe in the sale of models in the

small A and B segments, it has very similar tastes to the Italians

and the style and design of that nation is highly appreciated and, as if that were not enough , there is a great memory of the legendary Lancia sports cars. Furthermore, Napolitano has visited the Zaragoza plant where the car is produced several times and is delighted with its quality:

"It has German reminiscences, but today it has a very cosmopolitan and committed team."

Between 2024 and 2025, some 16 dealerships will be named, which will be known as Casa Lancia, in key cities in Spain.

Napolitano affirms that the interviews he has held so far "demonstrate the passion of these people for the brand, with which they have all had some type of connection in the past." In total,

in Europe there will be a network of around 70 distributors

in the main capitals in this first period. Likewise, they want to promote

online

sales

.

The Ypsilon that has been sold so far

The current Ypsilon is in the farewell phase and its production will cease in May,

almost simultaneously with the arrival of the new one. When asked how

they have not opted for a model with an SUV body

, so in demand today, the head of Lancia acknowledged that

this was the initial plan, but decided to change it so that the brand has its own personality and differentiates itself more from the rest. of those of the group.