Lancia reveals first official pictures of Ypsilon EV

Lancia has revealed the first official images of the Ypsilon electric supermini.

The Italian brand says the Ypsilon represents the start of a new era, with three new models planned between now and 2026.

Initially, the Ypsilon will go on sale in its homeland in the plush Edizione Limitata Cassina pictured, before being rolled out to France, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. There’s no word yet on whether it will come to the UK, where the brand has historically struggled.

The Ypsilon is based on Stellantis’s e-CMP2 platform, which is used across a wide range of cars. Under the surface, it’s effectively a Peugeot e-208 or Vauxhall Corsa Electric. But on the surface, Lancia has worked hard to create a unique presence and position its car as a more premium offering.

The bodywork is all-new and at the front features a modern take on Lancia’s historic grille using horizontal and vertical light bars. This sits beneath a black bonnet trim, with the headlights set low and wide in the front bumper. At the back, prominent round tail lights are said to have been inspired by the Stratos rally car of the 1970s, while the tailgate features a sharp low-level crease and the Lancia name spelled out across its width.

For the launch edition – of which just 1,906 examples will be built – Lancia partnered with Italian furniture maker Cassina. Inside, the result is seats upholstered in ribbed blue velvet with a “cannelloni” texture, a blue finish to the dashboard and doors along and a “coffee table” protruding from the dashboard and offering wireless phone charging.

Away from the design-led touches, the Ypsilon gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel, clutter-free centre console and two 10.25-inch digital displays. The main multimedia system is the first to use Stellantis’s widget-based SALA (sound air light augmentation) infotainment system, which it says brings new levels of customisation. The Ypsilon also comes with level 2 automated driving as standard and is expected to offer a higher level of specification than its Stellantis stablemates.

Powering the Ypsilon is a 152bhp motor driving the front wheels, which should get it from standstill to 62mph in around 8 seconds. The motor is fed by Stellantis’s 51kWh battery, which Lancia says will give the car a class-leading range of 250 miles. DC charging at 100kW should allow a 20-80% charge in 24 minutes or a 60-mile top-up in just 10.