(VIDEO) The Italian brand Lancia is reborn and promises fascinating new models, including electric ones, inspired by the glory of its past

Lancia is a brand with a fascinating 116-years history, with a long list of technical innovations, ambition in design and technology. There have been countless glorious models that have become classics appreciated today, and there have been countless victories in motorsport. After the original Lancia Thesis, however, the Italian brand went down a path of decline that continued to tear the hearts of fans. There were a few releases of archaic Chrysler models with the Lancia badge. But in recent years, Lancia has reduced its existence to the production and sale of a single model, the Ypsilon, in a single country. And now Lancia promises a new era of momentum.

The current situation, in which Lancia only sells Ypsilon in Italy, is a great paradox that deserves to be studied at universities. On the one hand, that Ypsilon is based on a Fiat Panda platform from the early 2000s, and it also has simple engines with two decades old technology. On the other hand, however, Lancia Ypsilon's sales have remained at an incredibly good level, even in recent years they have continued to grow slightly. Thus, if in 2018 Lancia sold 48,603 Ypsilon units, then in 2019 it sold 58,820, in 2020 — 43,076, and in 2021 they increased again to 43,862 units. In 9 months of 2022, 31,145 Ypsilons had already been sold, and the model continues to rank 3rd in Italy's sales list. So there is a great emotional attachment to Lancia.

Photo: The current Lancia Ypsilon, after several facelifts

And if the brand produced really good new cars, sales would jump even higher. And to understand how precious these figures are, we can remember that in 2021 Alfa Romeo sold only 26 thousand cars globally, with all its models combined! So, there is a Lancia phenomenon, which deserves to be explored and which deserves to reach the stage of a glorious Lancia relaunch.

Last night, Lancia presented its new logo and new design directions, while also making great promises. At the logo level, the Italians say they were inspired by the emblem that appeared in 1957 on the Lancia Flaminia model, which, by the way, was the first in the world to adopt a large-scale V6 engine!

Photo: The new Lancia emblem, year 2022

It is one of those innovations, which I was talking about above, and Flaminia at that time already adopted an aluminum body for its top versions. Along with the new emblem, the people from Lancia have created a new style of letters, which they will use as part of their identity.

Photo: Lancia Flaminia

On the design side of the future Lancia, the new philosophy is called Pu+Ra, and it means pure + radical. The inspiration comes from the shapes of some classic models, such as Aurelia and Flaminia, as they were radical and memorable, but also of absolute purity in their forms. And the simplicity and radical approach will also be inspired by the classic Lancia Stratos and Delta models. Sounds like a long-awaited relief to the fans, doesn't it?

And inside, the design of future Lancias will be inspired by Italian furniture. Excellence and attention to detail, skillfully chosen materials, innovation and again courage and radical perspectives. Just as Italian furniture can be gorgeous through simple geometric shapes, but skilfully combined and thought out, creating an ambience that invites you in comfort, and later the experience on that furniture confirms your initial visual perception, so will the Lancia interiors of the future!

Finally, the people from Lancia realized how much glory their history hides and they wanted to treat it with respect, stepping on the immense inspiration that springs from there! Finally, Lancia seems to have found its long-lost compass and, after a regrettable wandering, it seems to tell the whole world that it knows what it has to do, and it honestly promises to do it!

The first cars of the new era will come in 2024. The first model will be a new Ypsilon, which will have regular engines, with internal combustion, but also an electric version, most likely these will be created on the basis of the Fiat 500. Later, however, Lancia promises more models, with an almost exclusive focus on electric ones, but from 2028 Lancia will sell only electric ones. We are promised a new superb Lancia Delta, which will leave the world fascinated, but also a new flagship model, which does not yet have an official name! All these models will have common design lines from the Pu+Ra philosophy, all will also have round rear optical blocks, which will make them easily recognizable and reminiscent of the Lancia models of yesteryear. By the time these models are launched, Lancia wants 100 showrooms in Europe and a full presence on the continent, returning from a brand that only sells in Italy to one with continental and global aspirations.

Photo: The shape of the future optical blocks on Lancia models

And, beyond everything, we are promised that all Lancia models from now on will be cars that neither their creators nor their owners will be ashamed, years from now. They will have a timeless design that will remain current for 100 years. And these will aspire to become classic models one day, just as it happens today with Lancia models produced 40 or 50 years ago!

See in the video below the inspiration that the new Lancia team seems to have for the revival of the Italian brand.