Lancia hints at Stratos-inspired EV for April unveiling

Lancia has teased the launch of a new, Stratos-inspired EV that's set to be unveiled on 15 April.

The storied Italian marque will unveil this and its 10-year manifesto at an event dubbed Emozione Pu+Ra, translating to 'Emotion Pure and Radical', the second previewing its future direction.

An image of the car's rear was teased by Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano, showing oval-shaped LED taillights reminiscent of the Pu+Ra Zero sculpture shown in November 2022. The firm's new boot-width logo is also showcased. 

Lancia is due to launch three new electric cars by 2028 in its push to become an EV-only brand, with a focus on the European premium market, and previewed each of their designs with the aforementioned sculpture.

It previewed the styling of a new Ypsilon hatchback, which is expected to be released in 2024, offering an electric powertrain for the first time in the model's 30-year history.

The sculpture also previewed how the rebooted Lancia Delta and an as-yet-unnamed flagship will look. No timeline for the arrival of the other two EVs has been announced yet, though.

It marked “a new era” for the brand, Napolitano said, and showed how the brand would look “for the next 100 years”.

The design “vision” revealed a modernisation of the classic Lancia T-shape Calice grille, now created with three LED bars “to express our electric future”, said Napolitano. At the rear, circular, hollow tail-lights – as seen on the concept previewed by Napolitano – were joined by the new Lancia nameplate.

Jean-Pierre Ploué, the firm's head of design, saud: “It is timeless, durable, unique. Our designs will be built with iconic shapes like the circle, square and triangle.”

In an interview with Autocar, Napolitano said Lancia will focus on small, compact and flagship models that will be “in line with a tradition that made Lancias recognisable all over the world for their elegance and modernity".

He added that upcoming cars will be sold in Italy alongside "four other European countries in the first phase". These are expected to be the UK, France and Germany. The second phase will likely involve expanding sales Europe-wide. 

The company's new era will also see the development of an online sales platform, similar to that offered by sibling brands. This will be accompanied by 100 sales outlets across the continent. “We want to make Lancia a respected brand within the European premium market", said Napolitano.

He added: “Today is the beginning of our renaissance that will amaze Lancia fans all over the world. Lancia will once again be a desirable, respected and reliable brand in the European premium market. Today is the beginning of the new Lancia.”

The interior of the next generation of Lancia will be created in partnership with Italian design house Cassina and will include the latest infotainment technologies, Lancia confirmed.

The 116-year-old brand, now owned by Stellantis, has also revealed a fresh logo, opting for a three-dimensional look, rather than the flatter design favoured by European car makers such as Volkswagen and BMW.