Stellantis relaunches Lancia as all-electric marque, teases radical EV design

Italian automotive brand Lancia is experiencing a new renaissance in its 116 year history, and it involves going all electric. During a “Design Day” event today, the Stellantis subsidiary kicked off a ten year strategy that will introduce three bespoke Lancia EVs between 2024-2028. While it didn’t share any glimpse of its future EVs, Lancia did share an interesting looking automotive sculpture that encompasses the radical design we will see in all three of the future models. See more below.

Lancia was originally founded in Turin, Italy 1906 as Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili by Vincenzo Lancia and Claudio Fogolin. The automaker spent its first 60 years building combustion vehicles rich with innovation, including the first full-production V6 engine.

In 1969, Fiat purchased Lancia, but the marque lived on producing vehicles through the ’70s and ’80s, where it found a successful niche in rally car racing. When Fiat Auto became Fiat Group in 2007, Lancia again pivoted along with it before rebranding in 2011 to design new vehicles built by Chrysler. Under FCA in 2015, Lancia continued to sell just one model – the Ypsilon, which is currently only sold in Italy.

There was worry that the Lancia named would be wiped altogether when FCA morphed once again, this time into Stellantis in 2021. We’ve covered this umbrella company plenty since then, but have not heard anything about its plans for Lancia. Now, under its “Dare Forward 2030” electrification strategy, Stellantis has given Lancia new life as an EV-centric brand.

It’s flagship model isn’t scheduled to arrive for a couple years, but Lancia shared its new logo, and the unique design elements it will keep in mind when manufacturing its first-ever EVs.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… Lancia sculpture?

Executives and designers for the Italian marque kicked off their new era during a “Design Day” event, which included the sculpture you see above. No, it’s not an EV, but the driving design force that will (hopefully) inspire a few someday.

Lancia calls this sculpture the Pu+Ra Zero – a three-dimensional “manifesto” that encapsulates the “pure” and “radical” language of the three electric vehicles the Stellantis subsidiary intends to deliver every two years beginning in 2024. This journey will begin with an all-electric, redesigned version of the aforementioned Ypsilon, followed by a Delta EV. Per the release:

Lancia’s new Pu+Ra Design language creates a space with both pure and radical forms with a language not typical of the automotive industry and where the interiors of future Lancia vehicles will be perfectly consistent with the design of their exteriors. Once on board, the drivers and passengers will be embraced by the typical Lancia elegance, with interiors inspired by the icons of the past like the Gamma, Thema, and Flavia, which today have been enhanced by simple and intuitive technology in line with the brand DNA. The result is an authentic ‘living room atmosphere, providing a home feeling similar to the one experienced in a typical Italian home.

In addition to the Pu+Ra “art installation,” Lancia debuted its eighth logo, which, like the sculpture, is described as “Progressive Classic.” At its core, it is inspired by the 1957 logo that first debuted on the Flaminia, but it also revisits many of the brand elements of its century-plus long history. The lettering itself is entirely new, representing its renaissance into a new, all-electric era. Company CEO Luca Napolitano spoke during the event and shared his excitement for a new chapter in the Italian automaker’s history:

The new era of Lancia starts today with a new Logo and a clear design vision. In anticipation of the new Ypsilon, the first vehicle of the new Lancia, we are introducing Lancia Pu+Ra Zero, a sculpture, a three-dimensional manifesto which inspires the vehicles that will be launched between 2024 and 2028. A work of art in which the past and the future are in continuous contact, in which elegance is balanced with the radical spirit of forms. 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!

Lastly, Lancia debuted a trailer for a three-part series documenting the rebirth of the Italian brand with episode one peeking behind the scenes leading up to today’s Design Day event. You can check out that trailer below, ahead of its premiere in January. It will be followed by a second episode in April 2023 and a final installment sometime in 2024, alongside the official launch of the all-electric Ypsilon.

Check back with Electrek soon for updates surrounding this reborn EV brand.