Lancia promises to fully revive under the leadership of Stellantis. One of the new models that we can expect will immediately leave people on the edge of their seats: the Delta.
Lancia is currently about the automotive equivalent of a coma patient, but that is about to change. The Stellantis concern, which arose from the merger of PSA and FCA, wants Lancia to flourish again. Earlier there were rumors that three new models are in the barrel. Now it’s getting a little more specific.
Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano lifts a corner of the veil in conversation with the Italian Corriere della Sera. He speaks – in Italian – in big words about the future. Lancia is on the eve of a ‘renaissance’. The biggest news is the arrival of a new Delta. “It will be a real Delta. An exciting car, a manifesto of progress and technology. Electric, of course.” The latter is related to Lancia’s plan to market only electric models from 2026.
Although Napolitano speaks with verve about the new Lancia Delta, it will probably be ‘just’ a compact middle class that will target the same segment as the previous Delta, which has been out of production for six years now. The Delta will probably be enthroned on Stellantis’ new STLA Medium platform, intended for middle class cars and the ‘premium brands’ that Lancia falls under in addition to Alfa Romeo and DS. That base offers space for a battery capacity of 87 kWh to 104 kWh, not much else is known about it yet. We secretly hope that Lancia will do something exciting with the design. A strong nod to the primordial Delta is undoubtedly well received by many. Patience is a virtue: the new Delta does not seem to come before 2026.
Lancia Ypsilon
Ypsilon
What will come sooner is a new Ypsilon. The little one who has been keeping Lancia alive for years now, will be relieved in 2024. That explains Napolitano in the interview. The smallest Lancia will probably come on the market with a fuel version and an electric version. Carefully expect that it will be a counterpart of the current Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa, although it is not inconceivable that the new Ypsilon will already receive the new STLA Small base, given the fact that three more years will pass. The latter is just not in line with the fact that Lancia will only release electric models from 2026.
Napolitano is still tight-lipped about other newcomers. He does, however, hint that a small Lancia, medium-sized Lancia and a ‘flagship’ are in the barrel. The Ypsilon and the Delta are logically the first two, the third is a mystery. Who knows, maybe the name Thesis or Kappa will breathe new life into a sister model of the DS 9 and the successor to the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Something is simmering again in Italy, in any case.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl