In 2026, Lancia will sell fewer cars than Ferrari, which is both funny and worrisome

Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine that Lancia The idea that Renault might sell fewer cars than Ferrari would have seemed like a joke. On one side, a manufacturer of limited-production supercars. On the other, a premium brand owned by Stellantis. Yet, by the end of 2026, this scenario could very well become a reality. A year and a half after the commercial launch of the new Lancia Ypsilon, it's time to take stock. And the picture is more mixed than it seems.

Italy Still Can't Get Off the Ground

The Italian market remains by far Lancia’s largest market. In the first half of 2026, the brand recorded 5,261 registrations there, compared with 5,367 a year earlier—a slight decline of 2 %. In other words, sales are stable, but they are not growing.

In the brand rankings, Lancia now trails Volvo, Mazda, Cupra, and Honda, though it remains ahead of Lexus and DS. Even more telling is that the Lancia Ypsilon has dropped out of the top 50 best-selling models in Italy. Last year, it was still competing with the Audi A1 and the Suzuki Swift, both of which remain on that list.

The electric version is also struggling to win over buyers. Of the 5,261 Ypsilons registered in Italy, only 324 are the 100 % electric versions. In response to this situation, Lancia has taken action in recent months by offering more competitive pricing and launching a version equipped with a manual transmission to lower the entry price.

Growth in Europe… but on a very small scale

Outside of Italy, the news is a little more encouraging.

France posted the strongest growth among the brand’s major markets, with 723 registrations in the first half of the year, compared with 454 a year earlier—a 59 % increase. Of these, 144 were electric models. However, the volume remains modest: Italy achieves nearly that figure in a single month.

Spain, where the Ypsilon is manufactured, also saw growth, with 439 registrations compared to 400 last year (+10 %). Belgium saw an increase from 106 to 143 cars (+35 %), while Luxembourg recorded a dramatic rise of 120 %, going from 34 to 75 registrations.

The Netherlands is the only exception. The figures for June are not yet available, but between January and May, Lancia recorded 49 registrations there, compared with 69 during the same period in 2025.

In total, these six countries already account for nearly 6,700 registrations in the first six months of the year, representing an overall increase of approximately 4 %.

The Lancia Gamma is set to be a game-changer

Based on these results, Lancia is expected to end 2026 with just over 12,000 registrations in Europe.

The parallel is striking: in 2025, Ferrari delivered 13,640 cars worldwide. A luxury brand could therefore sell more cars than a premium brand under Stellantis. Of course, the comparison has its limitations. Ferrari deliberately produces few cars, while Lancia is currently sold in only a few European countries. But the symbolism is powerful.

The good news is that the new Lancia Gamma is set to arrive by the end of 2026 to complement the Ypsilon. The brand can also count on strong visibility in WRC2, where its results have been very encouraging.

One question remains difficult to understand: Why is Lancia still absent from markets like Germany and Austria? At a time when every sale counts, this strategy raises questions. Because if the Gamma fails to breathe new life into the brand, it will be hard to imagine a bright future for a manufacturer that barely exceeds 20,000 annual sales across Europe.

Country	January–June 2026	Evolution
Italy	5261	-2%
France	723	59%
Germany	0	0
Spain	439	10%
Belgium	143	35%
Netherlands	49	120%
Luxembourg	75	4%