The Lancia Delta could embody the object of reconquest of the famous Italian firm that the Stellantis group is preparing to relaunch.
New Lancia Delta: soon based on the DS4? – After two decades of wandering, within the Fiat group, the famous Turin-based firm will be resuscitated under the leadership of Stellantis. I promise. Carlos Tavarès, who took the head of the group at the beginning of the year, gives 10 years to revive the sleeping beauty. She who no longer counts to its catalog that the ancient city dweller Ypsilon, aged ten and exclusively marketed in Italy, will soon be joined by several new models. Yes an urban SUV, resting on the platform of DS3 Crossback and Opel Mokka, should soon see the light of day, a brand new Lancia Delta could follow.
A Frenchman at the helm of design
Everything accelerated, in mid-June 2021, about Lancia, after Stellantis announced thearrival of the French Jean-Pierre Ploué, at the head of the design of the Italian brand. He who has already supervised, since 2009, the style of the PSA constellation (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, and more recently Opel), will soon be directly involved in the redesign of the manufacturer’s identity, by taking control of the Torino Centro Stilo. For him, “The rebirth of Lancia is a really exciting challenge. Lancia is an iconic brand, which will be replaced in its historic central position in Europe, to take advantage of its enormous potential ”.
Audi A3 in the viewfinder
Clearly, the governing bodies of Stellantis wish restore Lancia to its former glory, by repositioning it on the premium niche today trusted by Audi, BMW and Mercedes. If the path seems strewn with pitfalls, the brand intends to dig into its archives to relaunch iconic models. And to think particularly of return of a certain Lancia Delta which caused a sensation in the 1980s, notably with its record in the world rally championship. The compact would have a great card to play against the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mercedes Class A, especially since it would be easy for him to benefit from the expertise of recent representatives of the segment unveiled by Stellantis.
Its cousin, the future Alfa Romeo Giulietta, could also benefit from the technical basis of the DS4 and Peugeot 308. >> Find out more
Based on the DS4?
At the start of the year, DS created the event by lifting the veil on a very sharp DS4, both in terms of style and performance. A French novelty which shares most of its technologies with new Peugeot 308 and Opel Astra, and which the future Lancia Delta could easily inherit, via the synergies deployed. In addition to the excellence of the finishes displayed by the DS4, the Italian could easily appropriate the trio’s rechargeable hybrid units (180 and 225 hp), to which it would potentially add the variants of 300 hp, even 360 hp, available on other models of the Stellantis group (Peugeot 3008, 508 PSE, DS9). These powerful engines would be able to revive the myth of the Delta HF Intégrale, at little cost. It remains to be seen what strategic direction will be given to Lancia, between refinement and sportiness.
Lancia news:
Design: Jean-Pierre Ploué at the bedside of Lancia
Lancia 037: the rally legend is reborn thanks to a small craftsman
Lancia Delta HF Turbo 1986 – 1993: pioneer of premium (history, technical sheet, quotation, price)
