2023-11-13 17:22:00
But a little more patience for those nostalgic for this iconic brand: the new Ypsilon is not expected before the second half of 2024 in Belgium, a little more than seven years following leaving our country – 200 cars sold in 2016 – but also all of its markets to focus on Italy. Not without success since sales of its current Ypsilon, which is still 13 years old, have once once more flirted with 42,000 copies, for a market share of around 3%.
This return is not in itself a surprise, even if many people no longer believed in the future of the Lancia brand a few years ago. But now, the merger between the Fiat Chrysler groups (to which Lancia belonged) and PSA (Peugeot, Citroën, Opel) in January 2021 brought Lancia back to life. Carlos Tavares, the boss of Stellantis, then gave each brand 10 years to prove its raison d’être in September of the same year.
Lancia’s 2024 plan to reconquer the European and Belgian market: “Becoming a premium brand”
From spring 2022, the new roadmap was already revealed: with the announcement of a new Ypsilon, in hybrid and electric version, from 2024 and then two additional models in 2026 and 2028, which this time will be exclusively electric.
With, as a result, a significant repositioning: Lancia will now be a Premium brand, alongside Alfa Romeo and DS in this segment of the Stellantis group. . “We are not a premium brand today. The step to take is important,” admitted Luca Napolitano, the brand’s boss.
An absence of a few years on the Belgian market which should not pose a problem, as the brand retains supporters. “The passion and love for the brand has never disappeared,” emphasizes Francesco Colonnese, Business Development Manager.
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“Today we are a premium brand with premium brand prices.”
Why in Belgium?
To this will be added a physical presence since Lancia will reconstitute a distribution network, which will be backed by other Stellantis brands, 10 retailers for Belgium, in major cities. The space dedicated to Lancia will be cozy, to accentuate the premium positioning of the brand founded in 1906 in Turin. This same space will then be adapted to accommodate the next models, Gamma in 2026 and Delta in 2028, Lancia remaining faithful to the Greek alphabet to present its range.
The choice of Belgium among the six pioneering European countries for the return of Lancia is not, of course, the result of chance. Our country, of course, welcomes a strong community of Italian origin, more willing to buy “Made in Italy” cars. “Made in Italy”, more generally, is also appreciated by the Belgian public in the broad sense. Finally, the new Ypsilon is positioned in the B segment of city cars, whose potential is significant for all manufacturers.
From the premium hybrid and electric version, the target audience is rather corporate fleets than individuals because the price of the new Ypsilon will no longer have much to do with that of the promotional offer of 17,500 euros for its current generation gasoline model.
”The Belgian premium market is 80% B2B. We will clearly focus our efforts on this segment, without of course forgetting individual customers, who are also our ambassadors,” underlines Milosz Tomanek, Director of Premium Brands at Stellantis Belux. “Today we are a premium brand with premium brand prices. There are also more demanding expectations from premium customers and we must meet these expectations.”
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Credible alternative to the Germans
The fact remains that premium is rather associated with German brands like Mercedes, BMW, Audi or even Porsche, while “Made in Italy” has often been singled out for its lack of reliability. This is also one of the challenges of Jean-Philippe Imparato, the boss of the Alfa Romeo brand: to correct this image and offer cars of impeccable quality to justify its high-end positioning.
“We don’t want to do the same thing as the Germans, especially because we are too different, especially in terms of design,” adds Milosz Tomanek. “I want to be a credible alternative to German brands,” he continues, referring to the three brands in his portfolio.
What will be the design of the future Ypsilon? The Lancia Pu + RA HPE, this concept vehicle which is in a way the road map of future models, gives a more or less vague or precise idea. “The new cars will be inspired by it,” Francesco Colonnese cautiously advances
The new light signature on the front will certainly be found on the Ypsilon and its successors, assures Emanuele Tomassorri, in charge of exterior design. “Everyone will immediately recognize that the car is a Lancia.” Same thing for the rear of the vehicle. “For the interior, everything has been done to accentuate the feeling that you are in a living room and not in a car.”
An “Italian elegance” that we will discover in the months to come.
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