Lancia to reveal concept on April 15 ahead of Ypsilon launch

Lancia on April 15 will reveal its concept vehicle that will set the future design direction of the brand, which will launch its revival under Stellantis with a new Ypsilon small car starting next year.

Images released by Lancia on Friday ahead of the concept’s public debut show round taillights that refer to the Stratos rally racecar from the 1970s, as well as Lancia’s new logo and typography, which were shown last November. At the time, Lancia also showed a digital mockup of a concept called Pu+Ra, for "pure and radical." 

“The Lancia Concept is the brand manifesto for the next 10 years,” Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano said in a news release. 

Other design features include a circular sunroof that integrates the brand’s new logo, as well as horizontal lines on the rear window that recall the Lancia Beta HPE, which had similar prominent plastic trim on the rear C pillar.

Lancia is part of the premium brand group at Stellantis, along with DS and Alfa Romeo. 

The brand has shrunk to just one model in one market, the small Ypsilon in its home of Italy. Under Stellantis, it plans to launch a new Ypsilon model in Italy in early 2024, followed by other European countries. 

Lancia's 10-year business plan, released last May, is based on a three-model range. The new Ypsilon, both hybrid and full-electric, will be followed by a flagship compact crossover in 2026, potentially called the Aurelia, and a compact hatchback in 2028, the Delta. Both will be full-electric models. 

There were about 41,000 Ypsilons sold in 2022, leaving the model in third place in the small premium segment, according to figures from Dataforce. The Mini One/Cooper was first, with about 99,000 sales.