We all love a good comeback story. Rocky, Cinderella Man, Cher in her Believe era, you get the idea. Just as society thinks an artist or character’s best days appear to be in the rearview mirror, they prove exactly why they’ve always been great. In the same vein, rally legend and Italian automaker Lancia is staging a comeback, and the new Lancia Ypsilon is leading the charge.
After the turn of the new millennium, Lancia’s had a history of both strange decisions and neglect. The Thesis looked like a Jaguar S-Type described over a walkie-talkie, the Flavia II was literally a Chrysler 200, and the Ypsilon III was sold in the U.K. as a Chrysler. For the past eight years, that third-generation Ypsilon has been the only car Lancia sold, and even then only in Italy.
However, that aging Ypsilon has been the best-selling subcompact car in Italy as recently as August of 2022, and was the second-best-selling B-segment car in Italy last year. In Italy, Lancia still matters, which is why it’s incredibly pleasing to see an all-new Ypsilon that’s beautifully strange.
Up front, you’re greeted by a split-headlamp arrangement with one giant LED strip running all the way across the fascia to serve as the daytime running light. Considering we’ve already seen this arrangement in the Hyundai Kona, there’s not much weird about it. However, that full-width daytime running light is set into what can only be described as an angular monobrow with a vertical centered element that perhaps acts as some sort of moral support. I know pareidolia is played-out, but this thing genuinely has a similar facial expression to that of Moai from Easter Island.
Weirder still? Those aren’t the only daytime running lights. There are more in the actual headlamp assemblies, three dots per side, or one dot shy of Porsche’s current signature. Also, there appear to be four rounded body-color rectangles in the bumper with distinct seams, which could either provide active cooling or suggest that someone wasn’t really paying attention the last time the Monty Hall problem was explained. How odd.
Things get less weird around the side, because this new Lancia Ypsilon is a re-skinned Peugeot 208 and everyone knows it. There’s no hiding the typical hatchback silhouette, but there is adding confusion with shiny black wheel arch trims on a vehicle that makes absolutely no implication that it’s trying to be a crossover. Lancia’s stylists might be trying to add some Fulvia HF implications, but still, huh?
Around back, the weirdness picks up a touch, with two round taillights meant to evoke those on the Stratos, and a hilarious difference in font, leading, and size between the Lancia wordmark and the Ypsilon emblem. The rear end also gets two massive, horizontal black trim pieces to echo the front, one between the taillights and one beneath the liftgate.
The first new Ypsilon on the market is an electric-only Cassina special edition. Lancia’s only making 1,906 of these, to celebrate the year of Lancia’s founding. While we don’t know much about exactly what sort of batteries and motor powers this Italian hatchback, Lancia claims a WLTP range of 250 miles. Considering the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro has a WLTP range of 264 miles and sits on a dedicated platform, Lancia’s figure seems solid for what is essentially a standard hatchback with a high-voltage drive system.
Moving to the inside, Lancia’s clearly picked all the rights sorts of weird to include in the cabin. Leather? How 20th century. The Ypsilon Cassina has blue velvet seat facings that look positively sumptuous compared to the hide of a beast. Need to set something down or take a video call while charging? A circular table sprouts from the dashboard, and not only does it sport a wireless smartphone charger, it looks big enough to perch a small laptop on. Is there a giant disc with ominous blue lighting sitting atop the dashboard? Of course there is, don’t even question it.
The new Lancia Ypsilon is no Delta Integrale, but if it means a future for Lancia, sign me up. The brand has been left to languish on the vine for too long, so new life is greatly appreciated, especially when it’s as unique as this. The new Ypsilon looks delightfully eccentric, the sort of car that would win a local Cars And Coffee in 2049. All I can say is sign me up.
(Photo credits: Lancia)
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Man I am getting serious Aztek vibes from the front end. The back seems to be all right, but overall it seems too logical to ever be called a Lancia.
That looks like a Lancia the same way I look like Michael Phelps.
It’s ugly, nondescript, and both tries too hard (rear styling) and not hard enough (everything else).
Why even keep the brand around if the best you’re willing to do is put clown makeup and a leisure suit on a Peugeot 208?!
Didn’t knew Michael Phelps was famous for his rear style 🙂
It’s great, except that the flux capacitors on the taillights are a on sideways.
That’s because it’s not for traveling through time but to alternate universes which this thing is clearly a visitor from.
I like the rear, and the flux capacitors in the lights are ‘Y’s (Greek letter upsilon). I love the seats but am completely confused what they were trying to do with the front end, it doesn’t make ‘visual sense’ to me.
Ypsilon not upsilon
I hope those aren’t the indicators, because it they are they are pointing the wrong way on each side (like the Edsel).
if a Juke and a Sandero get it on
I want it.
Blue velour, Big Badges, Searchlights, taco table, quad rocket launcher bays and everything.
I like it.
Speaking of the Lancia Thesis (I know that wasn’t at all the point of this), why did International think “ah yes, that’s peak design” when they designed the Lonestar?
I like the rear. It does a good job emulating the Stratos, the black bar reminiscent of the spoiler with the round lights there
This is very Lancia,and I think it does a great job at that.
Oh. Those seats.
I want those seats.
I know, right?!
I just want to appreciate the fact that it looks like they took a dashboard, haphazardly stuck it in the middle of another dashboard, which itself also seems have a centerpiece made of different materials than the corresponding section on the doors. I’d love to know how many different types of textured raincloud colored plastic it took to pull this off.
Meh. It’s a Peugeot e208/Corsa e with as much gloss black plastic as possible, no thanks.
Dear Stellantis,
Import it, you cowards.
Not crossovery enough for us
Swap the glossy black wheel arch trim for matte black wheel arch trim. Done.
Dodge Omni vibes… we just need to de-content it for the cheap American bastiges cross-shopping this with the Mitsubishi Mirage.
From the front it’s like they saw the Nissan Juke and went “huh, we could do that..”
This is totally what I thought, only said in a much more amusing fashion than I did. Well done sir.
The four rounded rectangles on the front bumper are for releasing and receiving homing pigeons.
I hear those pigeons are cheap bastards.
Pigeons are very compassionate birds though. They always give a shit.
The thing I like the most about this are the seats. The interior looks okay to me but I would rather if they went with a design more in the spirit of the Lancia Delta.
Honestly, the vehicle that looks the most of to me of what a modern Lancia should look like is the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Yeah, the seats are great, I had an old Lincoln with soft, blue velour, very comfortable. That sort of material should make a comeback
The rear turn signals point the opposite direction, just like a Edsel wagon or a current Mini. Argh!
Honestly who the frick cares? You look at what SIDE the blinky light is on, not its shape!
Say what you will about its looks, but at least its not a Town & Country with a Lancia badge slapped on it… or a 300… or a 200…
Was the entire Lancia Lineup a decade ago really just all barely rebadged Chryslers?
Instead of an American car with an Italian name, they could’ve flipped the formula and called it the Ypsilanti
i’d have bought an Lanciaypsi.
COTD nominee right there!
Button blanks on the outside of the car is not something you see every day.
I saw the seats and thought: damn, is that velour?! Then I threw water on myself, assuming it was just that alcantara crap, but I guess it isn’t. I miss velour—comfortable and held you in the seat without the need for the uncomfortable seat bolsters they put in every damn thing, including SUVs that max out at .72g or whatever and are never driven that hard anyway. As for the rest . . . eh, the back isn’t bad and I love the color.
Well, they sure fucked that one up. There is so much good design heritage to steal from (Fulvia Coupe, Stratos, Delta I,..), but they decided to follow their bad design heritage (Lybria, Thesis,..) and even mix in some Fiat Multipla.
You know, from the back I kinda like it. Unfortunately they gave it that face, which is awful. It looks like they didn’t know what styling elements to use, so they just slapped a bunch in there.
The back almost isn’t that bad, I agree. But then they put that way too big L A N C I A on there and ruined it.
And my brain keeps reading this as D A C I A.
yep, that’s what i thought too, but Dacia redesigned the fonts on their badging a long time ago. last time i have seen that font was on a 1410.
Good news everyone!
Can’t wait for Torch’s article about the rear turn signals being an arrow pointing the wrong way
Oh my, the Lancia Thesis has to be up there with the most unfortunate looking cars of the modern era.
What is the point of the 4 blank plates(?) under the lightbar on the front?
They hide the extendable headlamp washers. It takes four nozzles to clean the monobrow.
Its a secret they haven’t released. You know how the tail lights are Stratos inspired? Well those 4 blanks are for the snap in installation of the 4 piece rally light bank option, also inspired by Stratos. Simply remove the blanks, snap in the light bank, BOOM instant rally car. Wiring and controls are already in place.
I want to believe this.
Rocket Launcher Bays.