TURIN — Lancia plans to launch as much as three new fashions within the subsequent 5 years, as Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares seeks to present the storied Italian model an opportunity for long-term survival by means of a concentrate on design, electrification and an enlargement past its sole present market, Italy, the place it has been diminished to a single mannequin since 2017.

Early this 12 months, Tavares quietly entrusted his longtime chief design lieutenant, Jean-Pierre Ploue, with the vital process of rapidly designing a brand new vary of Lancia fashions.

In accordance with individuals concerned on these initiatives however not approved to talk publicly, Ploue has been assigned to design a small automobile, a compact crossover and a compact hatchback.

Work has already begun on the brand new Lancia fashions. 

Ploue, who was named certainly one of two world chief design officers on the 14-brand Stellantis group in January, makes frequent journeys to the previous Fiat Chrysler Vehicles styling middle in Turin, the place he additionally supervises the design of Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. He was formally given responsibility for Lancia design on June 15.   

The small automobile, which might substitute Lancia’s solely present mannequin, the Ypsilon, will seem first, in mid-2024, and would be the first full-electric providing within the firm’s 115-year historical past. There may also be a gasoline variant.

The second mannequin, a compact crossover, is about to seem within the first quarter of 2026 and could have solely battery energy.

Whereas the small hatchback and the compact crossover initiatives had been formally authorised for growth in mid-Could, the compact hatchback has not but obtained formal approval, in response to individuals concerned within the initiatives. Lancia remains to be evaluating if there will probably be enough volumes for a hatchback that will attain the market by late 2027.

A Stellantis spokesman declined to remark.

Ploue, 58, who began his profession at Renault in 1985, “will personally supervise” the creation of Lancia’s new merchandise together with a “lean and targeted group” of younger designers based mostly in Turin, Stellantis stated in a launch.
 
He joined PSA Group in 1999 after a decade at Renault the place he contributed to the designs of the primary generations of the Twingo and Megane, and stints at Volkswagen and Ford of Europe.

At PSA, he was first given the duty of main the rebirth of a historic model by means of design. As styling chief at Citroen, he led a change of the model’s picture by means of boldly styled fashions that included the C4, C5, C6 and DS3. Ploue was promoted to director of design at PSA in 2009. 

Reviving Lancia “is a really thrilling problem,” Ploue stated in a launch, promising to revive the model “to its central historic place in Europe, leveraging on its enormous potential.’’

Lancia has been struggling for years from a scarcity of recent product and funding. An try to develop its vary following Fiat’s 2011 takeover of Chrysler by rebadging Chrysler merchandise as Lancias failed badly.

The Chrysler 300 massive sedan was supplied in Europe because the Lancia Thema, and the midsize Chrysler 200 sedan and cabriolet rebadged because the Fulvia. The Chrysler City & Nation massive minivan was imported in Europe because the Lancia Voyager. The fashions offered in low numbers and had been rapidly discontinued.

Fiat Chrysler’s late CEO Sergio Marchionne made the choice in 2014 to limit Lancia to Italy amid the model’s declining European gross sales.

The Ypsilon, a premium minicar based mostly on the Fiat Panda, has a decade-old design, however continues to promote comparatively properly in Italy. By Could, gross sales stood at 22,783 – or greater than twice the gross sales of the general Alfa Romeo vary in Europe, in response to commerce group ACEA. It ranked third within the entry premium phase in 2020, in response to JATO Dynamics, with greater than 43,000 gross sales, trailing the Mini and the Audi A1.

Lancia’s future has been unsure because the merger of PSA and FCA was introduced in December 2019, however Tavares and Stellantis Chairman John Elkann have stated they need to revive the model. Tavares has grouped Lancia with fellow premium manufacturers Alfa Romeo and DS Vehicles to create synergies although shared growth prices.

Talking to monetary analysts in March, Tavares stated Lancia embodies “Italian magnificence” and that it has nice potential to succeed not solely Italy but in addition in “and neighboring nations.” 

Elkann stated in March in an interview on Italian tv that Alfa and Lancia may gain advantage from the Stellantis merger as a result of for years FCA “couldn’t make investments or give sources as a lot as we wished.”

A few of these sources will come from being a part of Stellantis’ premium group.

In a recent interview with Automotive Information Europe, DS Vehicles CEO Beatrice Foucher stated that since Day 1 of the merger, she had been working along with Lancia and Alfa to search out widespread floor.

“It has been wonderful, as a result of everybody has one thing they will get from the others and from the group,” she stated. “Lancia is an incredible automotive story, however they’ve just one mannequin immediately, which suggests they need to develop and rejuvenate to turn out to be what they had been earlier than.”

The primary new Lancia mannequin, the Ypsilon substitute, will profit from know-how that PSA dropped at the merger that created Stellantis. Will probably be based mostly on the second era of the eCMP structure that may debut late in 2022, in response to a presentation given by Tavares in mid-April.

A compact crossover to debut in early 2026 will probably be an electric-only mannequin based mostly on the Stellantis STLA Medium structure, beforehand identified at PSA because the e-VMP structure.

Italian metalworker unions recommend that the Lancia crossover may very well be the fourth mannequin to be produced within the revamped Melfi plant in central Italy.

At a June 15 assembly in Rome with the deputy chief of Stellantis’ Enlarged Europe area, David Mele, and the Italian industrial minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, unions had been informed that Stellantis would set up the STLA Medium structure in Melfi by mid-2024 and that it will underpin 4 fashions for various manufacturers that “have relevance for the home market.” Melfi at present builds the Jeep Renegade and Compass and the Fiat 500X.

In accordance with unions, Stellantis has not determined but the place to provide the Ypsilon substitute, with the plant at Tychy, Poland, because the probably location.