Famed Italian car brand Lancia is making a comeback with its striking new Ypsilon – an electric hatchback boasting a 250-mile range.
Lancia is best known for rallying, with its highly-regarded Lancia Integrale still ranked as one of the best hot hatches ever made. However, no Lancia-badged models have been sold in the UK since 1995, and though the firm has continued to sell since, it’s primarily been in its native Italian market with the Fiat 500-based Ypsilon being on sale since 2011, though was still the third best-selling car in Italy last year.
Lancia forms part of Stellantis, with the new Ypsilon’s underpinnings being shared with cars like the Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa. It’s been unveiled in electric form, boasting a 51kWh battery allowing for a claimed range of 403km (250 miles) and a 24-minute charging time to get the battery from 20 to 80 per cent. Petrol models will also follow.
Lancia says it will sell the Ypsilon first in countries with ‘love and passion’ for Italian products, as well as those where smaller B-segment cars remain popular. Following an Italian launch, it will be introduced to Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and France. It’s yet to be confirmed if Lancia will be relaunched in the UK.
