Lancia: Concrete Plans for the Return of the Brand

Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano can certainly be considered one of the most emotionally attached Italian executives within the Stellantis group, and he announced the future Delta with corresponding emotion to the newspaper "Corriere della Sera":

“Everyone wants the Delta and it cannot be missing from our plans. It will return and be a true Delta: an exciting car, a manifesto of progress and technology. And of course, it will be electric.”

In the ten-year plan, Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares is now giving Napolitano the (last) chance to revive Lancia sustainably and profitably. Napolitano names Mercedes-Benz as a benchmark, mainly alluding to quality and return, as Lancia will continue to operate in the small car and compact segment—from which Mercedes-Benz wants to rather withdraw—because the Stuttgart-based company is also focusing more on margins than on volume.

Starting with the successor to the Lancia Ypsilon - as a hybrid and electric model

The brand's restart will be initiated by the new Ypsilon in 2024. It will also be the brand's last (hybridized) combustion engine. It stands on the CMP / eCMP (Common Modular Platform) platform, on which the Opel Mokka, the DS3 Crossback, the future Alfa Romeo Brennero, and the successor to the Fiat 500 X are also built. Accordingly, the new Y will move up a class and is likely to become more of a crossover than a small car, with conventional electrified combustion engines and fully electric variants. Production is to move from the Polish plant in Tychy to Zaragoza, Spain.

Second new model: The new Aurelia from 2025

In early 2025, a purely electric compact-class crossover will follow, standing on the STLA Medium platform, swimming in the highly competitive compact to mid-size SUV market. According to Napolitano, the name Aurelia will be reactivated for this purpose. The model is to roll off the production line at the southern Italian Melfi plant, where the compact Jeeps and the Fiat 500 X are currently being built. From 2024, four fully electric models from the Stellantis group, as well as battery packs, are to be assembled there.

The Delta from 2028

The renewal of the brand will be completed in 2028 with the Delta. It also stands on the new Stellantis platform STLA Medium and is likely to hit the market slightly before the successors of the current DS4, Opel Astra, and others. According to Auto Motor und Sport, the Delta was originally planned to be launched as a plug-in hybrid with a power range between 180 and 360 PS, with the top model again as Delta HF. However, the project has been changed in favor of a purely electric variant. STLA Medium is expected to offer a range of up to 700 kilometers, with a rapid charging goal of 32 kilometers of range per minute according to Auto Motor und Sport. A favorable WLTP consumption target of 12 kWh per 100 kilometers is being aimed for.

Delta with solid-state batteries?

The powertrain will feature an electric drive module (EDM) with a power output between 125 and 180 kW (170 to 245 PS). This includes the motor, transmission, and inverter and allows for front, rear, and all-wheel drive. This would make higher power outputs possible for a (emotionally important) Delta HF. And since Stellantis could already introduce the first solid-state batteries from 2026, these would be an interesting innovation for the Delta and would electrically revive Lancia's history, once known for innovative but not always financially successful ideas.

The design will be crafted by Jean-Pierre Ploué, who once again wants to be influenced by the 115-year-old history of Lancia. What a Delta-Montecarlo mix could look like is also shown by David Oberndorfer, who enjoys reinterpreting old classics. We have appended his video.

With internationalization, Lancia remains rather cautious: after having actually withdrawn solely to the Italian market, the first goal is to reconquer Europe before addressing further export markets. The plan is to establish 60 to 100 inner-city "stores" to "show face," plus (re)building an EU-wide dealer network.

What does that mean?

Lancia is at least in Italy an emotional brand, one for which both the cost accountant and CarGuy Tavares have a soft spot – otherwise, he wouldn't have approved the comeback. The only problem is: Lancia, like Mercedes-Benz, is "old world" and needs damn good arguments and USPs to win over the hearts of non-Italian car lovers. Although Napolitano rolls out a fundamentally consistent portfolio, a significant USP is somewhat missing here – what does Lancia aim to be between Alfa Romeo and DS in the future? Especially since new Chinese startups, Cupra, Mini, and Smart are not going to make life easier for the Italians...