Lancia had promised a new Delta for 2028, but Stellantis has just canceled it

Just a few years ago, Lancia seemed doomed to disappear. During the FCA era, the Italian brand was surviving on just one car: the Lancia Ypsilon. A stylish city car, popular in Italy—five doors, five seats, priced around €17,000—it achieved respectable sales volumes in its domestic market. But aside from this model, there were no other projects in the pipeline. FCA simply no longer seemed willing to invest in the brand’s future.

Then came Stellantis. When the group was formed, Carlos Tavares made a statement that restored hope: «Every brand will have its chance.» For Lancia, that promise translated into a new product plan.

A renaissance that seemed well underway

The first step was the new Ypsilon. Larger than its predecessor (I often call it the «Big Ypsilon,» by the way), it shares its technical platform with the Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa. Stellantis even explained that this new generation made it possible to generate nearly twice as much profit as the previous model.

Its commercial success, however, remains a matter of debate. According to our latest figures, Lancia registered approximately 6,700 cars in the first half of 2026 across all countries where the brand is now sold. It is up to each person to decide whether this result lives up to the brand’s stated ambitions.

But above all, the Ypsilon was meant to be just the beginning. The Gamma was announced for 2026, a promise that is now being fulfilled since it has already been Unveiled in Pictures, which has been physically showcased at several dealerships (which leaked images of it) and will go on sale by the end of this year.

Next was the model that all enthusiasts had been waiting for: the new Delta, scheduled for 2028.

The Delta was the stuff of dreams

This future Delta was anything but a simple compact car. Early reports described it as a compact sedan with all-wheel drive, conceived as a true revival of this iconic model from Lancia’s history.

In fact, I can say this today without taking too much of a risk: I was lucky enough to see a scale model of the car at the Centro Stile in Turin in early 2025. And honestly… it was magnificent. You could immediately recognize the spirit of the original Delta, reimagined in a modern interpretation. A true restomod that embodied the DNA of the Lancia Delta. I can’t say any more than that. At that moment, it was hard not to believe that the brand was finally back on the right track.

Carlos Tavares' departure is a game-changer

The situation takes a turn at the end of 2024 with the resignation of Carlos Tavares. A few months later, Antonio Filosa, considered the spiritual heir to Sergio Marchionne, takes the helm at Stellantis. Then, at the Investor Day held a year later, another surprise: Lancia would no longer be managed directly as before, but would come under Fiat’s control.

At this point, many questions arise. Is this a return to the strategy of the FCA years? Will we see standard Fiats that are simply more stylish and rebadged as Lancias? Antonio Filosa will respond a few days later : Fiat and Lancia will be working together again, just as they did during Lancia's heyday.

The Delta is being discontinued

And then there’s this new Stellantis product plan for 2030. In the column dedicated to Lancia, one detail immediately stands out: the Gamma is definitely there… but the Delta has simply disappeared.

Yes, some will still accuse me of speculating. Yet the facts speak for themselves. If the Delta no longer appears in the official roadmap through 2030, that means that, at this point, Stellantis no longer plans to launch it during that period.

So we can say this without exaggeration: Stellantis has canceled the upcoming Lancia Delta. Because if the project were still on track, it would have fit perfectly on the future STLA One platform, becoming the technical cousin of the next Peugeot 308, expected at the end of the decade.

The End of Lancia? Not Necessarily

Be careful, however, not to jump to conclusions. The absence of the Delta does not mean that Lancia is doomed. The Gamma is still on the schedule and will be the true test of this new strategy. It’s also possible that Fiat is currently working on a new roadmap for the brand, different from the one envisioned under Carlos Tavares.

But in the short term, Stellantis is focusing solely on the Gamma. And in both the medium and long term, no other Lancia models currently appear in the official plans through 2030.

In other words, the Delta’s grand return—which was supposed to symbolize Lancia’s rebirth—has now been put on hold. We will, of course, be following the Gamma’s market launch very closely, as there is no doubt that company executives will be asked about the brand’s future… and about the fate of the model that was supposed to embody its return to the forefront.