New Lancia Ypsilon EV revealed: the Vauxhall Corsa’s sharp-suited Italian cousin
The all-electric supermini offers a 250-mile range and Lancia Stratos-inspired design, however, there’s been no word on any potential return to the UK market for Lancia
After months of having details drip-fed to us about the new Lancia Ypsilon supermini, the Vauxhall Corsa’s sharply dressed Italian cousin has been revealed online, ahead of the car’s full unveiling on 14 February in Milan.
The Ypsilon may share the platform from the Corsa and Peugeot 208, and have similar proportions to both, but Lancia’s design team have gone all-out to create something unique.
The eye-catching front end design was influenced by the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE concept from 2023, particularly the three-strake daytime running light that Lancia calls ‘the calice’. The main headlight units are located below it, while the front bumper incorporates a large air intake and angular splitter.
The rear, however, takes more inspiration from the iconic Lancia Stratos that dominated the World Rally Championship in the seventies, with the circular LED tail-lights and pronounced shelf that connects them evoking the design of the Stratos. There’s enormous ‘Lancia’ lettering across the back, too, while another brake light is tucked up under the roof spoiler.
While the Ypilson has a similar sloping roofline to the Corsa and 208, Lancia has elected to conceal the rear door handles in the black C-pillar, in a similar way to that seen on another rival, the Renault Clio. Lots of ‘Y’ shape motifs have been incorporated into the Ypsilon’s design, including the tail-lights and alloy wheel design seen in the images.
There are plenty of unique touches inside as well. For instance, the ribbed blue velvet seat upholstery, flat-bottomed steering wheel and the curious circular platform that Lancia calls a “multifunctional table”. You won’t be hosting any dinner parties on it, but we suppose you could rest a tablet on there to watch a movie while charging the car.
The ‘table’ also looks to have a wireless charging pad built-in, plus a leather panel embossed with the Cassina special edition logo. Cassina, for those who don’t know, is a renowned Italian furniture brand who have worked with Lancia to create the Ypsilon Cassina first edition, just 1906 examples of which will be made.
The Ypsilon also features a two-step cockpit design that has the digital instrument panel recessed into the dashboard, while the central touchscreen protrudes out slightly from the dash, putting it more closely within the driver’s reach. Below the touchscreen is a row of physical switches for the climate controls, with the gear selector toggle and start/stop button located on the centre console.
The Ypsilon is the first car to utilise Lancia’s new S.A.L.A infotainment setup, which stands for ‘Sound Air Light Augmentation’. It’s a fully customisable, widget-based system with the central high-definition touchscreen providing controls for audio, climate and interior lighting. Lancia says this “enables you to tailor the car's atmosphere effortlessly, either with a simple gesture or your voice.”
Underneath the flamboyant bodywork and velvet, the new Lancia Ypsilon is based on the same CMP/e-CMP platform as countless other Stellantis products, such as the Corsa and 208, plus the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600. That will allow the Ypsilon to be offered with petrol and all-electric powertrains, but the EV is very much the focus at the moment.
Lancia has revealed the electric Ypsilon has an official range of up to 250 miles, which is on par with the new MINI Cooper it’ll soon rival. Powering it is probably the same 154bhp electric motor and 54kWh battery as the Corsa Electric and E-208, while the 100kW maximum charging speed should also be the same for all three.
Eventually, we expect the same combustion engine options offered in the Peugeot and Vauxhall to feature in the Lancia, those being a simple PureTech petrol engine or more efficient mild-hybrid setup.
Unfortunately, we’ve yet to receive a definite answer about whether the Lancia brand will return to the UK market, the brand having withdrawn from all right-hand drive markets exactly thirty years ago in 1994.
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