Lancia has revealed the New Ypsilon, marking both its first new car in 13 years and its first EV.
The EV will launch first in Italy as the New Ypsilon Edizione Limitata Cassina in a limited run of 1906 units, a reference to the year Lancia was originally founded. Developed with Cassina, an high-end Italian furniture company, this edition includes a multifunctional ‘tavolino’ that helps create a hospitable, welcoming, space for the driver and occupants made of bio-based plastic and saddle-leather upholstery. A tavolino table works similarly to help the EV’s interior resemble a ‘living room’ experience.
Lancia’s focus on this living room experience extends further to the New Ypsilon’s infotainment system, called S.A.L.A. Based on the Italian word for living room, with an acronym meaning Sound Air Light Augmentation, this all-new infotainment system respectively brings together audio, climate control, and lighting functions that can all be quickly adjusted by the driver and passenger. S.A.L.A. is hosted across the New Ypsilon’s dual 10.25-inch displays, one of which operates as the EV’s digital instrument panel and the other as its central display. The layout and colors of these displays can also be customized to the user’s liking. Further along the interior, in addition to adjustable, massaging, heated electric seats, the New Ypsilon also offers an array of standard technologies – including the S.A.L.A. HUB (Lancia’s proprietary virtual assistant), a keyless entry and start system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, and three USB-C ports.
Also provided as standard on the new Ypsilon are a series of ADAS, such as a dedicated parking assist. Based on 180-degree cameras and sensors located on the front and rear of the vehicle, the system helps facilitate and carry out different parking maneuvers. Accompanying the system are a range of Level 2 assisted driving functions that can be activated when the vehicle is driving between 18 mph and 93 mph (30 km/h to 150 km/h), including Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Centering, as well as a Traffic Jam Assist with Stop&Go that restarts the car automatically when it is stationary in traffic.
Powered by a single, all-electric, motor, Lancia’s first EV pairs a 156 hp (115 kW) power unit with a 51-kWh battery to deliver an estimated range of up to 250 miles (403 km). When it needs to be recharged, the vehicle can accept DC fast charging to replenish 62 miles (100 km) of range in 10 minutes, with a 20% to 80% charge expected to take around 24 minutes. In aiming to enhance the charging experience for its customers, the New Ypsilon will be supported by two schemes for home and public charging from Stellantis’ mobility subsidiary Free2Move. Here, the Free2Move Charging Home scheme provides customers with support for the installation, financing, and warranty of home charging systems and other energy-related hardware and services, while Free2Move Charge Go enables easy access to a curated network of public charging points.
The Edizione Limitata Cassina version of the New Ypsilon will be available to customers with a financial offer through Stellantis Financial Services. An initial down payment of €9,800 ($10,552 / £8,383), including a government eco-incentive to trade in a vehicle up to EU4, will precede monthly installments of €200 ($214 / £171) for 35 months that include an Easy Wallbox home charge solution offered through Free2Move charge. Financing is then valid for three years, after which customers can either keep the car by paying the remaining €22,854 ($24,539 / £19,550) or choose to return or replace it at the end of the contractual period.
Alongside the reveal of its new EV, Lancia also highlighted its electrification and expansion plans for the future. Here, the brand will support the Dare Forward strategy of its parent company, Stellantis, by exclusively launching fully-electric models from 2026. At the same time, Lancia is also planning to launch three new models on a bi-annual basis, with a new model released every other year. From the first half of 2024, the brand will return to the European market through a network of more than 70 new dealers located in 70 major cities across the continent. Among the first cities involved in this rollout will be Belgium and the Netherlands, followed by France and Spain, and then Germany in 2025.
