When Vincenzo Lancia was running the show, Lancia was a maverick of the automotive industry. His left-field ethos carried over to the big kahunas and engineers from the post-Vincenzo Lancia era. From the oh-so-pretty Fulvia to the purpose-built Stratos and – of course – the Delta HF Integrale, the Italian automaker made a name for itself by not running with the pack. Unfortunately, being different from the norm led to Lancia's ultimate downfall.
Lancia became a part of Turinese colossus Fiat in 1969, but for a while, Fiat didn't interfere too much. That changed in the 1980s, and Fiat's interference became all too apparent in the 1990s. Fast forward to the present day, and Lancia is nothing more than a one-market automaker with a one-model lineup.
How did it come to this? For starters, Fiat's poor management. Fiat can also be accused of watering down Lancia to a shadow of its former self. Take, for instance, the Italy-exclusive Ypsilon. Joined at the hip to the Fiat Panda since 2011, the Ypsilon is thoroughly old in every respect, especially when compared to Groupe PSA's B-segment models.
Speaking of Groupe PSA, the French multinational joined forces with Fiat Chrysler in 2021, thus creating Stellantis. It should come as no surprise that Lancia's first all-new design since the Chrysler 200 Convertible-based Flavia is a Stellantis product rather than a Fiat product. How come? Pictured next to a Peugeot 208 and an Opel Corsa, the camouflaged prototype of the fourth-gen Ypsilon looks eerily similar to Groupe PSA's subcompact hatchbacks.
From the car's hard points to the design of the front and rear wipers, as well as the location of the adaptive cruise control sensor, there's no denying the 2024 model is technically similar to the 208 and the Corsa. Both of the uncamouflaged vehicles are fully electric, meaning they're based on the eCMP architecture. CMP is the internal combustion-engined version of said platform, which will be replaced by the STLA Small (a.k.a. e-CMP2) in the following years. The new version of said platform is already used by the Europe-exclusive Jeep Avenger and the Fiat 600.
Photo: Baldauf
A five-door hatchback as opposed to the first- and second-gen Ypsilon, the newcomer features a small-ish steering wheel, a landscape-oriented touchscreen, and a rather clean transmission/center tunnel. Interior pics further show Lancia-branded headrests and a velour-like material on the seats, which further boast artificial leather. It's a tasteful cabin, that's for sure!
To be presented in February 2024, the fourth-generation Ypsilon isn't expected with any internal combustion powertrain. There is, however, a small chance of a mild-hybrid turbo inline-three and a dual-clutch transmission with six forward gears. With so many Europeans still unconvinced by the automotive industry's zero-emission push, it would be a mistake to offer the Ypsilon with electric power exclusively.
Speaking of electric muscle, don't get your hopes up for a quarter-mile thriller. The Jeep Avenger EV belts out 156 ps and 260 Nm of torque, meaning 154 horsepower and 192 pound-feet at full chatter. Those numbers also apply to the Fiat 600e. As for the 1.2-liter turbo in the Jeep Avenger e-Hybrid, 100 metric ponies will have to suffice. Its electric drive unit can assist said powerplant with 21 kW (29 ps or 28 hp).
Lancia is also planning to unleash a new flagship in 2026. Potentially dubbed Aurelia, said model is believed to be a STLA Medium-based fastback. Come 2028, an electric-only Delta will join the party.
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. Full profile
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