A small tablet in the centre of the dashboard to hold your coffee (or perhaps your smartphone), velvet on the seats, velvet from the chic furniture house Cassina, Lancia is doing everything it can this 4th of July to highlight an image of Italian luxury.
At the Italian embassy in Paris, amid colourful and gold curtains, the brand, owned by Stellantis since 2021, officially presents in France the new Ypsilon, the third generation of this small compact and, above all, the first new model in almost 12 years.
“Lancia is back in France, it is a historic moment for the brand,” says Joël Vérany, director of Lancia France, in BFM Business.
In fact, Lancia has not sold vehicles in France since 2015. The brand barely survived in Italy with 41,000 vehicles sold in 2022, according to Le Monde.
So everything needs to be rebuilt, starting with the image in the face of double competition: fierce competition in the premium sector with, for example, the Mini or the new electric Alpine A290, and even fiercer competition in the B segment, with these small compacts such as the Renault Clio or the Peugeot 208, which are very popular with European drivers.
And since the technical basis of this Ypsilon is also shared with that of the 208 (same engine, same chassis and lines that recall the small Peugeot from certain angles), Lancia really needs to infuse its compact with another spirit to differentiate itself. Hence the coffee bar.
In the premium segment
“The Ypsilon retains the strength of being a chic city car,” continues Joël Vérany. “It has a completely different DNA, different inside and out, materials that no one else has on the market: velvet, a coffee table in the centre of the vehicle. Who can offer that but Lancia?”
The other notable feature of the 208 is the price: between 800 and 1,000 euros more depending on the engine (which is not huge). Compared to a 145-horsepower Renault Clio E-Tech Alpine Spirit, the Ypsilon is still cheaper: almost 3,200 euros less.
It is now difficult to define what is truly premium with the price increase caused by electrification and the desire to preserve high margins among mainstream brands. Faced with this electrification that also sanitises pipes, design, materials and equipment become the only real elements to differentiate brands.
To explain its price list, Lancia will be able to gradually count on the 25 dealerships it plans to open by the end of next year. 80 maintenance points are also being set up, relying on the DS and Alfa Romeo networks, other premium brands of Stellantis, according to Le Journal de l’Automobile. What will be in place to celebrate Lancia’s centenary in 2026?
A complete range for 2030
After the Ypsilon and a sports version in 2025, Lancia will launch the Gamma, a mid-size SUV, in 2026, to mark its centenary, “a true vehicle, the flagship of the brand,” says Joël Vérany. In 2028, Lancia will present a new Delta, its iconic sedan. “We have a validated, visible and desirable 10-year product plan,” Joël Verany believes.
Source: BFM TV
