Lancia Ypsilon reborn as EV supermini
Italian brand’s resurgence begins with bold supermini featuring new infotainment and on-board table, writes Jonathan Bryce
Lancia has officially revealed the new Ypsilon electric hatchback as well as official specifications, complete with a bold, concept-inspired look, Stellantis’s new infotainment and an EV range of 250 miles.
The long-awaited electric car is Lancia’s first, and launches in Ypsilon Limited Edition Cassina form, which the Italian firm claims has been “inspired by the world of Italian furnishings”. Just 1,906 examples are to be produced in tribute to the Italian brand’s founding year.
It was fully introduced at Lancia’s headquarters in Milan, with customers able to express their interest in buying one through an online portal and joining the brand’s “One of 1906” campaign.
Said to “represent the maximum expression of design, comfort and well-being on board a Lancia”, the new supermini takes its design cues from the Pura HPE concept shown last spring.
The brand said: “The bodywork features the soft, elegant pure, and sensual shapes of the Aurelia and Flaminia, combined with the most modern expressions of radicalism inspired by the brand’s sporting history, embodied by the renowned Stratos and Delta, and by the language of architecture, furnishings, and fashion.”
The hatchback is in profile similar to the Peugeot e-208, has brand new Y-shaped diamond-cut alloy wheels, daytime running lights identical to the Pura HPE concept’s, LED headlights mounted underneath them and a Lancia badge mounted on the C-pillar.
At the rear, newly introduced rounded tail-lights are said to have been inspired by the 1970s Stratos rally car and sit next to Lancia’s redesigned bumper-width logo, both of which protrude from the rear windscreen for extra presence.
Lancia announced that the EV hatchback will offer a range of 250 miles (403km). This means it uses the same 51kWh battery as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 8.2sec and a top speed of 93mph. It also has the ability to charge from 20% to 80% in 24 minutes.
The firm has partnered with Italian furniture maker Cassina to make the initial edition of the Ypsilon; it was responsible for the design of the interior and exterior colours.
It has ribbed velvet seats with a cannelloni motif, a small table protruding from the dashboard, a flat-bottomed steering wheel trimmed in leather and black plastic and Stellantis’s new Sound Air Light Augmentation (Sala) infotainment system.
This uses fully customisable widgets that are depicted on two standard screens as standard, with the homepage serving as a centralised control panel allowing the driver to choose how they want to communicate with the car, whether it be by touching a button or by their voice.
Prices for the Ypsilon also haven’t yet been detailed, but we expect the limited-run model to be priced higher than the equivalent Peugeot and Vauxhall, which cost from £31,000 to £32,000 (1,416,358-1,462,204 baht). The brand has confirmed that the car will be sold in European countries such as Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, however it is yet to confirm a UK entrance.