A historic brand that is showing signs of awakening. Lancia, the legendary Italian brand also famous for its golden years in the world of motorsport, in recent years in the former FCA group and under the guidance of Sergio Marchionne had been put in the background, indeed substantially destined for oblivion, making it live now only of the Ypsilon model, whose latest series, albeit with light make-up, was born in 2011. Ypsilon, however, is the best-selling car in Italy in its segment (the B), with an annual cumulative in 2021 of 43,735 units. But that’s not enough. Now, with the merger of FCA and PSA and under the direction of Carlo Tavares, CEO of the Stellantis group, Lancia is also starting to have the first glimmers of rebirth. In fact, the number one of the mega-group recalled during the days the importance of the middle class and of building and selling affordable cars.
Following the brand’s 115-year celebrations, future plans have been announced – three new models arriving over the next five years. The first, in order of time, should be a new generation of Ypsilon, expected in mid-2024 in the petrol and electric variants based on the eCmp platform. While for the electric crossover it will be necessary to wait until the first quarter of 2026 and will be developed starting from the Stla Medium platform (evolution of the e-Vmp of the Psa group). And, for the third new model the indicative date is the end of 2027 and it should be a sedan. On March 1st, Stellantis’ industrial plan will be unveiled and the role reserved for Lancia will be announced. At the moment the Italian brand is “pulling ahead” with special editions of the model in production: the Ypsilon, in fact. This, in its four generations and over three million units sold since 1985, boasts over 35 special series. The latest special series is Ypsilon designed by Alberta Ferretti which is characterized by the Alberta Ferretti gray body color (flanked by four other shades), specially created thanks to a paint treatment that creates an iridescent effect, bringing out the points of light concealed pink of the bodywork. In addition, there are several details, such as the satin-finished rear-view mirrors and the grille and door handles display a monogram with the initials “Alberta Ferretti”.
In the interior, the seat fabrics contain recycled materials. The “AF” monogram, also in Rose Gold, is found on the headrests of the seats, as are other interior details in this color: from the steering wheel goblet to the air vent frames, from the gearshift gem in finish to the handles. The dashboard in black Silk fabric is illuminated by Rose Gold details. The engine range shows no news and includes the 70 hp 1.0 liter FireFly hybrid hybrid and the 69 hp 1.2 liter LPG, both with Euro 6D-Temp homologation. The price list of the LPG version starts at almost 14 thousand euros.