The Lancia brand was on the verge of extinction, but is now preparing for a full-scale renaissance. However, along with the change of the paternal FIAT concern to the global Stellantis, the legendary Italian brand acquired a distinct French accent. Therefore, it is not surprising that the unintentional declassification of the upcoming Lancia Ypsilon hatchback of the new generation took place in France.
In the early morning in the commune of Montbéliard, unknown people stole a car from the parking lot of the Peugeot factory in Sochaux. And the stolen car turned out to be a pre-production prototype of the Lancia Ypsilon model! This became clear after the hapless hijackers managed to drown a unique car in a local canal. It was during the rescue operation that photos of the hatchback were taken, completely devoid of camouflage camouflage. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident, even the attackers managed to leave the sinking prototype.
After that, Lancia published the official teasers of the future novelty. In such a non-trivial way, the public got an idea of the appearance of the upcoming Lancia from all angles. It turned out that the design of the compact hatchback has a lot in common with the spectacular Lancia Pu+Ra HPE concept car (pictured below), albeit in a more modest serial incarnation.
The production Lancia Ypsilon will compete in the popular European B class, where it will have to compete, among other things, with the single-platform Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa models. In this case, the “Italian” should be helped by an extraordinary appearance and a luxurious salon by the standards of the class with a characteristic saucer on the center console. After all, Lancia is positioned as a premium brand in the huge Stellantis concern. The car’s debut is scheduled to take place in February 2024.