Lancia Pu+Ra Zero heralds the future of Lancia

Lancia seems almost dead after the disappearance of the Delta and Thema and the withdrawal from all markets except the home market. It only sells the multiple facelifted 2011 Ypsilon in Italy, but that’s about it. Lancia might have died a quiet death under the rule of the former FCA, but now that it falls under the Stellantis group formed with Groupe PSA, there is a future for the brand again. A future that it faces with confidence, as is evident from what Lancia is presenting today. In the presence of various media, including AutoWeekLancia kicks off its resurrection in the magnificent Reggia di Venaria palace in Turin.

Pu+Ra Zero

Lancia does not have a full-fledged concept car in store for us yet, but it does have a so-called speedform. A sculpture that casts a glance into the future. The Italians call the creation, a kind of futuristic work of art, Pu+Ra Zero. This broadly shows Lancia’s design language for the coming years, more precisely for what is to come from 2024. Pu+Ra is the name for Lancia’s new design philosophy and is short for Pure and radical.

The ‘pure’ is roughly in flowing classic lines that, according to Lancia, go back to models such as the Aurelia and Flaminia. Lancia certainly does not forget its heritage. In addition, we see something at the back of the Pu+Ra Zero that is reminiscent of an earlier car of the brand: the famous Stratos. That is one of the ‘radical’ elements in the Pu+Ra Zero. Furthermore, ‘radical’ is in a modern, minimalist approach to the design of the new cars. Lancia also states that it will draw inspiration from the Italian interior design industry for the interior of its future models. Lancias must breathe an atmosphere that is both modern and homely, with a hint of classic influences. ‘Progressive classic’ is how the Italians describe the Pu+Ra Zero.

Three new Lancias

Although the Pu+Ra Zero looks quite abstract, it already contains concrete elements that we will see on new Lancia production models. For example, we see three glowing elements at the front that together form a kind of Y. Lancia calls this a ‘chalice’ and is a direct reference to the grilles of, for example, the primal Delta and the Beta Trevi. We will see these light units in a less extreme form in the grilles of the new Lancias, which, according to the brand, can therefore be immediately distinguished as a Lancia in the dark. In any case, we see the round rear lights on the Pu+Ra Zero specifically on the new Ypsilon.

Lancia confirms what we already knew to a large extent: there will be three new Lancias from 2024 to 2028. The new Ypsilon is the first, which we can already expect in 2024. Then come the new Delta and an as yet unnamed flagship. The latter may bear the name Aurelia and is said to come before the Delta, which will probably only appear in 2028. Lancia’s new trio will be complete in 2028 and from that same year, according to Lancia, the entire range will only consist of electrically powered cars. There is a chance that the new Ypsilon will initially be available with fuel engines, but the electric variant will be the only one left by 2028 at the latest.

The Lancia ‘Aurelia’ and the compact mid-sized Delta are probably already on Stellantis’ new STLA bases, which are intended from the outset for exclusively electrically powered cars. For the Ypsilon, Lancia may still use a basis that already exists, so it may be a cousin of the Fiat 500e, or Lancia will put it a little higher in the market as a relative of the Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa. However, the introduction of the new Ypsilon may be far enough in the future to already be on a new platform. Time will tell.

New logo

What is in any case already certain is that the new Lancias will get a brand new brand emblem. This is also on the Pu+Ra Zero and refers in particular to the Lancia logo that was used from 1957 to 1974, with a chrome ring in the heart that is accompanied by a flagpole on the left. The brand name is in a brand new font on a surface that is supposed to represent a flag. From 1911 to 2007, Lancia’s successive logos also featured a flag. As we see more often nowadays, Lancia chooses to write out the brand name in full on the new cars. On the new Ypsilon this is at least the case at the back, on which the brand name is located between the two round taillights, just like on the Pu+Ra Zero.

In addition to the cars of the reborn Lancia, you will also see the new logo and font on buildings in the near future. Lancia talks about the arrival of 100 new exclusive Lancia showrooms in Europe. In practice, the brand will probably be housed at Stellantis dealers next to the other brands, but those buildings will in any case proudly display the logo of the brand that many undoubtedly did not expect to see in our country again. Lancia lives again, on to the future.