Until recently, Lancia was withering away on death row, reduced since 2017 to a single model in a single market. One could almost sense hard-headed FCA chief Sergio Marchionne’s irritation as the Fiat 500-based Ypsilon continued to sell in droves.
It’s thanks only to Italian drivers’ patriotism and indifference to needless expense and the latest tech that Lancia survived for long enough to be saved by Stellantis.
Credit must go to founding Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares for appreciating Lancia’s value enough to hand the brand sufficient funding for a 10-year revival of its core model lines.
Precisely what is that inherent value, though? That’s what I’m hoping to discover, driving the new Ypsilon in Turin – home to the first factory that employed Vincenzo Lancia way back in 1898, the first site he opened under his own name and the famous Mirafiori plant, now also host to the Fiat and Lancia historic car collection.
The Ypsilon comes in Ibrida and Elettrica forms, and I’ve chosen the Elettrica, it being Lancia’s electric car. The former uses a 99bhp mild-hybrid 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol triple, the latter a 154bhp motor and a 51kWh battery.
Those specs feel very familiar because they are, from the many small cars based on Stellantis’s e-CMP platform.
The Ypsilon Elettrica drives virtually indistinguishably from a Peugeot 208 or Vauxhall Corsa EV, then. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Those cars have sold extremely well and the finer points of ride and handling aren’t priorities for many buyers in this market.
The Ypsilon is smooth, comfortable and refined on the autostrada, and in town it has a healthy reserve of power and it will round corners sharply. And if that really isn’t enough for you, exciting news: there’s a rally-inspired HF version coming.
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Just dig a hole and bury it, the brand and management should also RIP.
I. To revive Lancia in- and outside Italy with 4 new models between 2024 and 2030, there needs to be a budget. Developing the first of the range, a low margin B-segment car, WITHOUT using PSA underpinning would mean 'Dead on Arrival, such is the CAPEX level to do it all by yourself.II. Using Peugeot tech is not a bad thing, given the Lion of Belfort's high level of engineering.III. The sales performance of the new Yp in Italy is 'underwhelming': from 4k to <1k units per month. Previously the Donna's were handed the key after a €15k deposit; the 2025 Yp is €23k. This means no more monthly Gucci shopping spree! IV. Yp's EU roll-out slowly gains traction, but with Europe's biggest markets still missing (England & Germany) combined sales is less than 700 units outside Italy. V. But all this is fairly insignificant in the GRAND schem of things. In 2022 Lancia was given 10 years to re-establish itself, and this year's Gamma and the 2026 Delta will give Elkann cs a much better perspective whether Tavares's strategic plan will bear fruit.
An interesting looking car. Not pretty, but different. I quite like it. Lovely interior. Now it needs RHD, and a manual petrol version. Drop the dark tinted glass too if someone from Lancia wants to improve it further. We need more 'interesting' designs on the road, and this certainly is a start.