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2015 Lancia Ypsilon Catches Fire During Euro NCAP Crash Test, Gets Two-Star Rating

While it’s no secret that Fiat Chrysler has turned the Lancia brand into a poor rebranding job, the extremely weak results shown by the Ypsilon subcompact during a recent Euro NCAP testing session do come as a surprise.
2015 Lancia Ypsilon crash test 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
In what could perhaps be described as the only feature that allows this car to pay homage to the spicy go-fast character shown by the Golden Era Lancias, the Ypsilon caught fire during the offset frontal barrier test. Unfortunately, this is no Italian rear-wheel-drive retro machine whose caprices can be accepted.

While the incident isn’t included in the official footage of the test, Euro NCAP does provide an explanation of the flaming episode.

The positive battery terminal shorted out, setting fire to the brake fluid leaking from the reservoir. The safety body explains Lancia had not encountered such problems during its development tests, with the company set to come up with a solution that will be implemented into the production process early this month.

However, there is no mention of what will be done for the vehicles that have already been delivered to customers, so we can only hope the "silent recall" policy that usually characterizes such operations in Europe will be applied.

As for the Ypsilon’s safety ratings, the vehicle received a 44 percent score for adult occupant protection, 79 percent for child occupant protection, and 64 percent for pedestrian protection. In the Safety Assist department, the Lancia scored a mere 38 percent.

Who is to blame for this safety failure experienced by the Italian supermini?

The second-generation Ypsilon entered production back in 2011, sharing its platform with the Fiat 500 and Fiat Panda. Both Fiat models have received significantly better Euro NCAP ratings, so the blame falls entirely on the engineering inputs used for the Lancia model. The 2015 model tested here is a facelift that landed at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Those of you who want to know the details of the 2015 Lancia Ypsilon’s crash test ordeal should check out the PDF file below.

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 Download: 2015 Lancia Ypsilon crash test by Euro NCAP (PDF)

About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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