The phrase comes from Luca Napolitano, boss of Lanciaat the official presentation of the new Lancia Ypsilon HF in Balocco. And it sums up the Italian brand's bold gamble: sell less, but sell better.
A new generation that changes everything
Gone are the days of the old Ypsilon, a chic but rustic city car produced at Tychy in Poland on an aging Fiat base. Back then, the entry ticket started at €17,650 and sold like hotcakes on the domestic market: over 24,000 units in Italy alone in the first half of 2024.
With the new generation of Lancia YpsilonWith a new eCMP platform, production relocated to Saragossa in Spain, hybrid and electric powertrains, and a clear move upmarket, the Ypsilon Hybrid has changed everything. The result is a hybrid Ypsilon that starts at €25,000, with no discount. Lancia makes no secret of the fact: The brand claims to generate twice as much revenue from each unit sold than from the previous model.
Selling better, but much less
Problem: customers follow, but cautiously. In the first six months of 2025, Lancia registered 5,367 Ypsilons in Italy, and just 981 cumulative units in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Half-year total: 6,348 units. For the record, the old model did four times better in Italy over the same period, with over 24,000 registrations.
Of course, margins have improved, the average shopping basket has climbed, and management is delighted: "Every new Ypsilon is like two old ones in terms of sales". The share of sales of top-of-the-range versions exceeds 50 %, the electrified mix is twice the market average, and the customer base is expanding: +60 % of conquests, with customers coming from Toyota, Audi and Volkswagen. Gender, too, is becoming more balanced: once a very feminine model (70 %), the Ypsilon now appeals equally to men and women.
A premium strategy stymied by market realities
But the reality on the ground is more complex. In Italy, the Ypsilon fluctuates between 600 and 800 registrations per month. Since May 2025, it has even disappeared from the top 50, after briefly overtaking the Audi A1 and Suzuki Swift in April.
In other European markets, the breakthrough has been timid: in the first half of 2025, just 389 units in France, 410 in Spain, 106 in Belgium and 76 in the Netherlands. Its premium positioning, exclusively hybrid (or electric) powertrain, and €25,000 base price put it up against more affordable competition, such as the Peugeot 208 (€17,200) or the Renault Clio (€19,000) petrol version.
Discounts and versions to revive the machine
Aware of the price squeeze, Lancia is reacting: in Italy, a sales operation has lowered the price to €19,900 subject to financing, i.e. a discount of almost €5,000. For the time being, this measure is limited to the Italian market.
Above all, the brand is counting on its new models to make a splash: the sporty 280 hp electric Ypsilon HF, to resurrect the legendary badge. And an HF-Line version, wiser and more accessible, for those who want the style without the budget of the real HF. In the future, a non-hybrid version will also be available, reserved for Italy, at a lower entry price.
Between ambition and reality: the Lancia gamble
"It's a challenge," admits management. "Going from a single model to a range of three models, from Italy to Europe, with a premium positioning that takes time... and resilience."
A gamble played out on a knife-edge: less volume, more value. But only if the new Ypsilon, despite its undeniable qualities, finally finds its place in a city car market where price remains, more than ever, the king of arguments.
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They make twice as much margin, but sell 4 times less.
You don't need a doctorate in mathematics...
Sembra che alla Lancia si siano rincoglioniti, hanno cominciato con la Musa una vettura che si vendeva da sola ora la y una vettura che facevi fatica a non venderla, si vendeva persino con una dotazione da disperati, esclusa la eco chich bifuel va' che è un orologio, lasciando il mercato agli altri.
I get (somewhat) where Lancia are going with the new Ypsilon, but surely cars on the street are the greatest advertisement, there is no point positioning the car so upmarket that few buy it. Again, Stellantis need to move faster to market conditions, get the non hybrid version out, there is no reason Ypsilon should not sell in much bigger numbers!
We don't know because sales don't equal margins 😉
What's certain is that the product is only moderately popular, and that's Stellantis's fault.
Ich habe den Wagen jetzt mehrfach im italienischen Straßenverkehr gesehen und finde ihn passabel. Wann wird er endlich nach Deutschland exportiert?
Ben detto! Quindi guadagnano la metà 🤣🙌 Geniali. Se non fanno la 1.2 benzina manuale, il modello è spacciato
Someone explain to me the difference between producing in Spain and producing in Italy. Just a serious explanation. Not like labor costs or production costs, because they're the same on both sides. As for the rest, the product doesn't meet demand... if there's any left for Lancia. I haven't seen one on the road in Italy...
Beautiful car but unsellable with a Pure Toc engine.!!!!!
Its being produced alongside Opel Corsa. That's why.
In spagna l'energia elettrica costa un terzo dell' Italia
Costa la metà l'energia elettrica in Spagna.
Não sabes o que dizes
Total flop!!!
Veramente orribile. Oltretutto carissima. Infatti non ne vendono
All Italians produced on a Stellantis base, it's really a disaster and the apocalypse for Italian brands. If only VW had bought Alfa, Fiat or Lancia. Ka's products are already technologically outdated when they come out.
A me la nuova y non piace. È questione di gusti. Per fortuna siamo tutti diversi.
Ho una y del 2017. È perfetta, mi piace e mi sta dando tante soddisfazioni. Il 1.2 fire è un gran motore! Spesso le cose che funzionano vengono tolte dal mercato.
Quando la cambierò non so cosa comprerò. Di sicuro però non la nuova y e di sicuro non un auto elettrica, in primis per la fortissima emissione di onde elettromagnetiche presenti nell'abitacolo delle elettriche. Aspetto che quasi nessuno prende in considerazione.....
Volevo scrivere....A me la nuova y ....
Questi telefoni.....
Mi piacerebbe sapere i motivi per i quali la vecchia Ypsilon non è stata adeguata, come per la Pandina, agli adas di livello 2, avrebbe, credo, dato battaglia alla egemonia della Sandero posizionandola come prezzo in maniera intelligente,non dimenticando che aveva anche la versione a GPL. Sarebbe stata la vettura entry level per il marchio Lancia.
L' abbiamo capito solo noi! questi sono pazzi, hanno tolto dal mercato vetture che si vendevano da sole che aveva un stile inconfondibile, italiano, belle nonostante il prezzo e l' assenza di adas, e una tecnologia obsoleta, per mettere sul mercato un pacco gigante la fotocopia di Corsa, 208 ecc. Se volete fallire ditelo, vendere 1/4 per guadagnare il doppio fulminati
ma dire la pura verità? è brutta come una malattia mortale ...un fanale posteriore rotondo non la fa sembrare una Stratos ... speriamo ci siano da vendere quelle vecchie xchè questa è da fallimento entro il 2026 ...
The Lancia Ypsilon is chic. You only have to sit in it to realize that it's luxurious, with beautiful materials. Its lines are original and seductive. And it's great to drive, even with the most modest engine.
I've seen them in Italy, but never in France. Sales outlets are rare.
Why not sell it systematically in dealerships that sell Fiat, Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Jeep?
I saw one on the freeway leading to... Deauville. Ditto for the new Smart cars: I only saw one in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. As for the Hyundai Ioniq 6, I must have seen less of it than the fingers of one hand. I loved Panhards as a child, then the NSU Ro 80, Saabs, the Rover 75... Anyway, am I bad luck or what? No, in fact, human beings are like Panzer sheep.
En 3 o 4 años desaparecerán la mitad de las marcas europeas incluida lancia y muchas del mismo grupo aplastadas por el mercado chino... Triste pero ciervo...
Honestly, do the Stellantis marketers really like making fun of their customers?
Note that this is just a continuation of FCA. They've never invested in the Lancia brand, apart from making American clones (as old-fashioned as this Y based on a Corsa). In short, we're telling customers to go to hell (no more Punto, no more Giulietta, no more Lancia etc.), and then we expect them to flock to our (admittedly decent) DIY products?
Non ho più comprato auto italiane da quando le fabbricano all estero i miei soldi dati ai lavoratori italiani nelle fabbriche Italiane , diamo lavoro alla nostra gente piuttosto che portare tutto all estero .......ognuno la sua idea
Con lo stesso prezzo anzi spendendo meno prendo una tedesca
Eine woche in italien kein y zu sehen!