Lancia was one of those brands that we all took for dead. The sad agony caused by the “rebadge” of some Chrysler models, to then be left on hiatus with only one survivor, the little Ypsilon, has been an eternal topic of conversation for any car fanatic; for any purist it means hours of heated debate about what to do with this storied brand if they could own it.
But a few years ago When the FCA group decided to merge with the PSA group to form Stellantis, the plans to raise Lancia began to be felt everywhere. However, stories like these, we have always heard. We want proof and today, Lancia delivered it in a brief digital broadcast, called “Lancia Design Day” where we could say, the first stone was laid in the rebirth of this brand.
What will Lancia represent?
If you ask me, Lancia will be like DS but in Italy. Of course, Lancia’s codes and history are stronger and stricter, as well as being more difficult to reinterpret, since there are two visions of the brand. One, which is a classic brand and the other, which is a radical and progressive brand. The idea is to put these two elements into a new language that appeals to elegance and Italian style, but with less courage.; if Alfa Romeo is passion, Lancia will be emotion. If Alfa Romeo can be a stepping stone to Ferrari, Lancia could be something similar for Maserati, albeit with an extra injection of technology and avant-garde.
New logo
The new logo is a contemporary reinterpretation of the design used in 1957 (the last one on the front row). The brand presents it with the same concept of “Classic Progressive”, that is, revisiting all the classic elements such as the steering wheel, the flag, the spear, the letters and the shield., something to maintain the legacy, but in a more geometric and simplified format. The same can be said of the new typeface used for Lancia, narrower and more refined. It is also curious that the triangular shapes of the shield, the circular steering wheel and the rectangular flag, These are precisely the three geometric motifs that the brand has used in several of its models and that are celebrated in the Pu+Ra Concept.
Pu+Ra Concept: More sculpture than prototype
It’s not a mouse, or a boat. This sculpture is Lancia’s first artistic manifesto, called Pu+Ra Zero for “Pure” and “Radical” which are precisely the two opposite worlds of Lancia’s history, plus the Zero, which is a nod to the Stratos Zero, a car that we could call the spiritual predecessor of this piece and which is the starting point for the Italian brand. Pure and Radical, because it is not the same to talk about a Lancia Flaminia or an Aurelia than a Stratos or a Delta, but that is what the brand wants to achieve in this new era, a bridge between the two worlds, something that can only be achieved achieve with the good taste and elegance of Italy. And that is why the silhouette is very curvilinear, but with radical and sharp elements, like the “chalice”, the signature of three luminous vectors that recalls the Lancia grills or the rear lights that are a nod to the Stratos.
In fact, Lancia points out that they have been inspired by simple geometric silhouettes (guess what we can see in the brand’s logo) plus influences from other design universes, such as Italian furniture. The brand seeks to generate a sustainable and timeless design language.
With a lot of imagination, we will see some themes of this work reflected in the three future models of the brand, such as the new Ypsilon, the new Delta and a third model that will make Lancia “flagship”.
We don’t know anything about the interiors, except that Lancia will work with interior design company Cassina to create an environment that is warm yet modern, very Italian in style. In other words, that you feel at home, but with eclectic and contemporary details. It is not the “French living room” that Citroën proposes or the “Swedish living room” of Volvo. In addition, there will be nods to models like the GammaThema or Flavia, to be able to honor part of those chapters of the brand.
The plan
Lancia’s renaissance unfolds through a ten-year strategic plan that includes a range of three new electrified models, one every two years from 2024, seeking to cover 50% of the market. It is a roadmap that is part of Stellantis’ “Dare Forward” strategic plan. This can be seen in the electrification process that will lead the brand to only sell 100% electric cars by 2028. The other pillar of Lancia’s renaissance is sustainability: in the New Ypsilon’s cabin, at least 50% of the surfaces will be ecological. In addition, the creation of an efficient and innovative distribution model is underway, with 100 new exclusive showrooms in Europe and a selection of partners in Italy. In addition, the new sales model seeks to take advantage of the ecommerce format. The ultimate goal is to make Lancia a credible, respected and desirable brand in the premium segment in Europe.
