Photo: Lancia
According to chief executive Luca Napolitano, Lancia wants to borrow a page from Mercedes’ strategy book and focus on profitability over volume, as it attempts to secure its long-term future within Stellantis’ 14 car brand portfolio.
Currently, the Italian carmaker is far removed from its successful rally days, as well as from selling iconic models such as the Delta. In fact, the only Lancia on sale today is the Ypsilon, and only in Italy. For those reasons, some analysts believe that Lancia is one of the least strategic brands within Stellantis, as reported by Autonews Europe.
That being said, Napolitano has already presented Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares with a 10-year plan to relaunch Lancia, a plan based on three new models. First up will be an all-new Ypsilon in 2024 (both hybrid and battery-electric), followed by a compact crossover in 2026 and a compact hatchback in 2028 – both fully electric.
“Clearly volumes are important, but our targets are about profitability,” said the Lancia chief exec during a recent interview. “We still need to work and need to look at a benchmark... which for us is Mercedes. I don’t mean we want to fight against Mercedes, that would be naïve, but that is an example of what we look at,” he added.
Despite not being viewed as a Mercedes rival, Napolitano still believes Lancia can exist in the premium segment, alongside other Stellantis brands such as Alfa Romeo and DS Automobiles. First, Lancia would need to expand to other markets, of course.
“We initially target to make 25 percent to 30 percent of our sales abroad, to reach 50-50. Our aggressive electrification strategy and our focus on market segments which are very strong in Europe will help us.”
As for what could help Lancia gain credibility in the premium segment, Napolitano is looking at sustainable materials, strategy-wise, saying that his company could become Stellantis’ no.1 brand in terms of recycled materials.
That being said, Napolitano has already presented Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares with a 10-year plan to relaunch Lancia, a plan based on three new models. First up will be an all-new Ypsilon in 2024 (both hybrid and battery-electric), followed by a compact crossover in 2026 and a compact hatchback in 2028 – both fully electric.
“Clearly volumes are important, but our targets are about profitability,” said the Lancia chief exec during a recent interview. “We still need to work and need to look at a benchmark... which for us is Mercedes. I don’t mean we want to fight against Mercedes, that would be naïve, but that is an example of what we look at,” he added.
Despite not being viewed as a Mercedes rival, Napolitano still believes Lancia can exist in the premium segment, alongside other Stellantis brands such as Alfa Romeo and DS Automobiles. First, Lancia would need to expand to other markets, of course.
“We initially target to make 25 percent to 30 percent of our sales abroad, to reach 50-50. Our aggressive electrification strategy and our focus on market segments which are very strong in Europe will help us.”
As for what could help Lancia gain credibility in the premium segment, Napolitano is looking at sustainable materials, strategy-wise, saying that his company could become Stellantis’ no.1 brand in terms of recycled materials.
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