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2023 Lancia Ypsilon Priced at €15,250, Available in Only One Market

Named after the Greek letter upsilon, the Ypsilon rolled out with much pomp and circumstance in 1995. Serving as the replacement for the Autobianchi Y10, the first generation came exclusively with three doors.
2023 Lancia Ypsilon 7 photos
Photo: Lancia
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Essentially the posher sibling of the Fiat Punto from that era, the Ypsilon received a mild refresh in 2000. Three years later, the second generation was introduced, with better everything. Still a three-door city car at this point, the quirky-looking Ypsilon would receive two additional doors in 2011, with the reveal of the third generation at the Geneva Motor Show.

Twinned with the Fiat Panda, Fiat 500, and second-generation Ford Ka, the cute-looking hatchback originally sold well, although not as well as the original. Care to guess how many were sold in 2022, for example? Not even 41,000 examples of the breed. All of them were sold in Italy because Lancia was reduced to a single market brand – not even a true automaker - a few years ago by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ incompetent big-wigs.

Following the Italo-American corporation’s mingling with Groupe PSA, the brand received a new chance in the form of money and a product plan. Lancia has to deliver three new all-electric vehicles by 2028 as part of the Dare Forward plan, with 2028 also touted as the cut-off date for ICEs.

Zero-emission reinterpretations of the Ypsilon and Delta are in the offing, and the third model is believed to revive the Aurelia nameplate. Purists will probably weep if the Aurelia returns as a crossover, which is most likely the case given that Lancia is fighting to survive. If these EVs don’t bring the brand back to profitability, then prepare to bid Lancia farewell.

The first is due to launch in 2024, sporting the Pu+Ra design language. A portmanteau of pure and radical, Pu+Ra won’t matter too much at the end of the day because all three zero-emission vehicles will feature Stellantis platforms. In other words, there will be little to differentiate the once respected Italian marque from Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot, DS, and so forth.

In the meantime, the 12-year-old Ypsilon has entered the 2023 model year in Italy with a starting price of €15,250 (make that $16,475 at current exchange rates). Not bad for a reasonably well-equipped supermini, especially one that comes as a mild hybrid as standard. Prospective customers are further presented with a bi-fuel option that costs quite a bit more, as in €17,750 ($19,180), as per Lancia Italia’s build & price tool.

More stylish, efficient, and connected than ever, the Ypsilon is also available in a special edition dubbed Alberta Ferretti. On that note, would you even consider the Ypsilon if you were in the market for a B-segment car? If the answer is yes, why? Other than its alright-ish starting price, why would someone pick such an old design over the likes of the Jeep Avenger?

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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