Lancia readies reinvention as EV brand with nods to past icons

Lancia is getting acceptable to reinvent itself arsenic a style-focused EV marque with designs heavy influenced by icons of its past, including the Aurelia, Delta, Stratos and 037 Stradale – to beryllium previewed by a conception car successful the coming weeks. 

The storied Italian marque has been a one-car cognition since 2015, erstwhile it stopped selling rebadged Chrysler models, and though the Fiat 500-based Ypsilon supermini remains fashionable and was precocious refreshed, it’s present successful its 12th twelvemonth of production. 

Charged with relaunching the marque and returning it to markets extracurricular its autochthonal Italy, CEO Luca Napolitano has pledged to rekindle the ‘dolce vita’ tone that was cardinal to the entreaty of galore historical Lancia models, opening successful the 1960s with the Flaminia and Flavia. 

“This glorious and affluent past is an endless root of inspiration and volition pb the leap to the adjacent generations of products aimed to scope different countries and markets beside Italy,” said Napolitano astatine a caller property conference. 

Beneath their retro-inspired bodies, aboriginal Lancia models volition beryllium atop highly precocious caller platforms that will, arsenic good arsenic opening the doorway to wholly caller proportions and packaging solutions, facilitate measurement changes successful show and functionality. 

This volition enactment Lancia connected a par with sibling brands Alfa Romeo and DS, the trio agreed nether Stellantis’s caller Premium Brands category. 

Each of these brands has acceptable a way towards implicit electrification. As such, they volition swap each of their cars onto Stellantis’s caller STLA modular architecture (Small, Medium oregon Large), which has been designed to big some hybrid and electrical powertrains. 

The STLA architecture lies astatine the bosom of Lancia’s 10-year translation programme. “We’ve planned 2 caller cars each 2 years from 2024 to 2028,” Napolitano told Autocar. 

“We volition commencement with the caller procreation of Ypsilon, the archetypal afloat electrical Lancia, [then launch] the caller top-class saloon successful 2026 [when Lancia volition halt selling ICE vehicles], and successful 2028 we volition acceptable the rebirth for the Delta.” The saloon and Delta hatchback are expected to beryllium built connected the STLA Medium. 

Given that the STLA Small isn’t acceptable to beryllium introduced until 2026, the Ypsilon is apt to beryllium built connected the existing Fiat 500 EV architecture. Lancia will, however, question to springiness its electrical supermini a chiseled individuality successful enactment with its caller Pu+Ra (pure and radical) plan ethos. 

Although Napolitano assured Autocar that the caller Ypsilon is “basically ready”, an unveiling of the accumulation car isn’t anticipated imminently. 

Lancia showcased the fundamentals of its new-era plan with the caller Pu+Ra Zero sculpture, but Napolitano confirmed that a conception successful the signifier of a car volition beryllium unveiled astatine Milan Design Week successful April. 

“It volition beryllium precise adjacent to the caller accumulation car,” helium said. The conception is expected to amusement however Lancia volition besides enactment sustainability astatine the forefront of its reinvention. 

“At slightest 50% of our adjacent car’s interiors volition beryllium made from recyclable fabrics,” said Napolitano. He emphasised that this didn’t mean losing immoderate luxury appeal, due to the fact that Lancia has partnered revered Italian interior plan steadfast Cassina to make its next-generation cockpits. 

What remains unconfirmed is erstwhile Lancia volition marque its instrumentality to the UK. Previously, Napolitano said the steadfast volition merchantability its upcoming cars successful Italy “and 4 different European countries successful the archetypal phase”, expected but not confirmed to see France, Germany and the UK, earlier expanding Europe-wide.

Tommaso Marcoli