Luca Napolitano, CEO of Lancia, spoke about the new Lancia Ypsilon in an interview with the Quattroruote website. The launch is scheduled in Milan in February 2024, marking Lancia’s return to the European automotive scene. A significant detail is that the Ypsilon will not be exclusively an electric model.
New Lancia Ypsilon 2024: The First Details Direct from the CEO
Napolitano revealed many new aspects, particularly regarding the car’s design: “The Ypsilon, like the other two cars we will introduce, bears a strong resemblance to the concept we presented, both inside and outside. Externally, the three key elements are the chalice, which we have innovatively reinterpreted as a light motif, the rear lights echoing the Stratos, and, of course, the Lancia logo in lettering, visible both at the front and back, across the entire range.”
On the powertrain, Napolitano emphasized that the Ypsilon will debut as an electric vehicle but will not be limited to this option: “We are launching the Ypsilon with an electric motor because Lancia is strongly oriented towards a green future. However, considering that the model must start with success in Italy, a hybrid engine, particularly a 48-Volt mild hybrid, was essential. For the electric version, we needed to ensure a range of over 400 km, which for a premium car in the B segment allows us to offer the Ypsilon not just as a second car, but also as a potential first car, both for its range and its interior space.”
In terms of autonomy, the Ypsilon will be comparable to the Fiat 600e, launched last July, and also available in a mild hybrid version. Napolitano specified that the new Ypsilon will measure about 4 meters in length, but clarified: “It will not be an elevated urban crossover, but rather a classic hatchback. It will be less than one and a half meters tall, 1.44 meters to be precise.”
Regarding the Ypsilon HF model, Napolitano expressed great enthusiasm: “I can say it’s amazing, it’s beautiful. We finalized the design in the last revision with Carlos Tavares at the end of September. It will be two centimeters wider, obviously more agile, and will have a power of 240 horsepower, capable of accelerating from 0-100 in 5.8 seconds.”
The HF version will arrive in 2025, a year after the standard model, and will be exclusively electric, unlike the ‘standard’ Ypsilon. We just have to wait a few more months to discover the design and details of the new Ypsilon.