Stellantis, one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, has many brands under its umbrella but for what seems like a very long time Lancia has been the unloved stepchild in the group. Its only product has been the Lancia Ypslion (2011-2024) which was only offered in Italy.
The fourth-generation Ypsilon marks a turning point for the famous rally brand who are also bringing back their HF (High-Fidelity) subbrand.
The Lancia Ypsilon HF is a fully electric B-segment hatch sharing its Common Modular Platform (CMF) with other Stellantis products like the Alfa Romeo Junior, Peugeot e-208, Fiat 600e, and more.
Under the hood is a front-mounted 178kW motor powered by a 54kWh battery pack. Lancia claims a 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds.
The HF gets a wider track, with wider plastic wheel arch flares, lower suspension and a larger blacked-out front grille. Inside, the interior looks familiar to those who have sat in a Delta Integrale with diagonal stitching and perforated holes revealing red under the blue seats. Little details like HF are embossed into the headrests and the Elephant logo is scattered throughout. The HF elephant is a lucky charm chosen by Gianni, son of the company’s founder Vincenzo Lancia.
The Ypsilon HF will go on sale in Europe in May 2025, with the brand being reintroduced into Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, and Germany.
Lancia has plans to bring back the Gamma and Delta with performance-oriented HF variants envisaged for both models.
Is Lancia returning to rally? Well, not exactly. There are no current plans for Lancia to field an official works team, but Lancia has unveiled the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF in the stunning classic Lancia racing colours. They hark back to the championship-winning Lancia Delta HF Integrales in their Martini liveries. Unlike the road-going Ypsilon HF, the Rally 4 gets a three-cylinder 1.2-litre unit producing 153kW. Power is sent to the front wheels via a five-speed gearbox and mechanical limited-slip differential. It’s built to comply with FIA Group Rally4 regulations. The Rally 4 HF will compete with other Rally4 cars like the Ford Fiesta Rally4, Opel Corsa Rally4, Renault Clio Rally4, Skoda Fabia R2, Peugeot 208 Rally4, and Kia Rio Rally4.
