Photo: Lancia
We could have told you about how many miles the latest Audi does to the gallon, but instead, we are going to talk about Lancia. Why? Because according to Google, there have been exactly 0 stories written about it this year.
This is a subject that's vital to me because several years ago, I wrote an editorial saying that Lancia should become an Italian Skoda, offering the fresh stuff on a slightly tighter budget. People called me an idiot and said Lancia was cooler than Alfa Romeo and Maserati combined.
I think that it was in 2014 that the proverbial stuff hit the fan. Lancia was placed in a terminal coma and we are now looking at the outcome of that. Checking the Italian website, we discover that it's the only one in the world that still sells cars. Unfortunately, the only thing they have is arguably the worst Lancia ever made, the Ypsilon.
This is hardly a cult car, and it's offered with the worst kinds of engines imaginable, the two-cylinder 0.9-liter, the 1.3-liter diesel and a few others that run on natural gas. Prices start at €13,350, and I wouldn't pay even 70% of that. Of course, if you look a little deeper into the website, you'll find that a high-spec model stickers for around €11,000, so they are doing absolutely huge discounts.
In September 2015, so about a year ago, the Ypsilon got its last facelift. However, three months later, Euro NCA released the crash test results, and they were horrible. The vehicle caught fire after the impact, which is exceedingly rare these days, plus it only got a 2-star crashworthiness rating.
I've never believed that Lancia is worth killing. But just like Alfa Romeo and Maserati, it's being managed badly by people who don't understand how the global car market works and what people want. I mean, the Ypsilon has a NORMAL speedometer that's placed in the middle of the dash. It's nothing like that of the old MINI.
And why did they develop this as the only new Lancia model? When it came out in 2011, SUVs had already taken over a long time ago, so why didn't they change the formula? Probably because they believed shoehorning Jeeps into European driveways was easier, but it's not.
I think that it was in 2014 that the proverbial stuff hit the fan. Lancia was placed in a terminal coma and we are now looking at the outcome of that. Checking the Italian website, we discover that it's the only one in the world that still sells cars. Unfortunately, the only thing they have is arguably the worst Lancia ever made, the Ypsilon.
This is hardly a cult car, and it's offered with the worst kinds of engines imaginable, the two-cylinder 0.9-liter, the 1.3-liter diesel and a few others that run on natural gas. Prices start at €13,350, and I wouldn't pay even 70% of that. Of course, if you look a little deeper into the website, you'll find that a high-spec model stickers for around €11,000, so they are doing absolutely huge discounts.
In September 2015, so about a year ago, the Ypsilon got its last facelift. However, three months later, Euro NCA released the crash test results, and they were horrible. The vehicle caught fire after the impact, which is exceedingly rare these days, plus it only got a 2-star crashworthiness rating.
I've never believed that Lancia is worth killing. But just like Alfa Romeo and Maserati, it's being managed badly by people who don't understand how the global car market works and what people want. I mean, the Ypsilon has a NORMAL speedometer that's placed in the middle of the dash. It's nothing like that of the old MINI.
And why did they develop this as the only new Lancia model? When it came out in 2011, SUVs had already taken over a long time ago, so why didn't they change the formula? Probably because they believed shoehorning Jeeps into European driveways was easier, but it's not.
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