Alexandre
Lancia officially began its return to the European market with the new Ypsilon, after a long period of virtual disappearance. The city car, more premium and more expensive than its predecessor, was supposed to mark a revival for the brand, with ambitions clearly focused on European markets. However, it has to be said that its launch outside Italy fell far short of expectations.
November 2024 figures: Italy still in the lead, but other markets struggling to keep up
Italy, where the Ypsilon is an iconic model, remains the main sales driver. With 812 registrations in November, the city car managed to maintain a more than modest pace, but one that was relatively stable compared with previous months. Outside Italy, however, performance is largely insufficient to guarantee the success of a European revival.
In France, Ypsilon recorded 22 registrations in November121 sales since its launch in April. In Spain and Belgium, results were even more disappointing, with 13 and 11 registrations respectively in November. The Netherlands fared little better, with 25 sales over the same period. It should be noted that it is not yet sold in all European countries, notably Germany.
Top-of-the-range positioning for a competitive segment
One of the main reasons for these timid results probably lies in the new Ypsilon's price positioning. Priced from €23,900, this model is in a higher range than its direct competitors, often more affordable. In Italy, where popular city cars such as the Fiat Panda and Dacia Sandero dominate the market, the Ypsilon is struggling to make its mark. The previous version, sold for between €15,000 and €18,000, attracted a wider audience, but the new generation has taken a decidedly more premium turn, with top-of-the-range equipment and finish that are less in line with demand for affordable city cars.
What does the Ypsilon need to succeed outside Italy?
So what does the Lancia Ypsilon need to cope with this relative failure outside Italy? The answer may lie in two key elements: better advertising coverage and price adjustments to make it more competitive. Despite decent media coverage with numerous press reviews in recent months, the Ypsilon seems to be suffering from limited visibility outside Italian borders. A more targeted and sustained advertising effort in countries such as France, Spain and Germany could help boost sales.
At the same time, a review of its positioning could make the Ypsilon more attractive than its rivals. In its segment, European consumers are increasingly price-sensitive, and if the Ypsilon really wants to establish itself as a European model, it will have to strike the right balance between premium quality and a more affordable price. By way of comparison, a Volkswagen Polo starts at €21,630 and a Renault Clio from €19,300.
Lancia's future dependent on the Ypsilon?
Lancia's return to Europe is crucial to the brand's future. If the Ypsilon continues to struggle outside Italy, it will be difficult to imagine a successful relaunch of more ambitious models such as the future Lancia Gamma. We'll have to wait until January 2025 to make a full assessment of 2024.
Honestly, who can believe it?
Here's the result of the Tavarès/Ploué duo! 😬
Meanwhile La R5! 🙄
Meanwhile, the R5 is selling well and a 500hp version is planned...
Imagine if De Meo directed Stellantis instead of Scrooge...
Renault's current projects date back 4-5 years. In short, Demeo was just able to sign off. But that's not bad. And with one manufacturer and 2 brands, it's easier than Stelltruc's stupid thing.
A super-ugly car (designed by Citroën's own designer) far too similar to the Corsa/208, super-expensive, powered by the super-PureToc, available almost nowhere...
Now we've reached the limits of Picsouvarian policy: we're counting national monthly sales by the dozens...
Hai ragione, un altro famoso marchio ridotto a fare il "tuning" della 208 col PurèTech.
Esteticamente stilemi dolosamente orrendi esterno/interno, come le ben precedenti Thesis e Delta, ottimo metodo usato per svendere o avviare un brand rivale all'estinzione; con la scusa di mancato successo dei modelli.
Above all, it shows that Lancia is a dead brand, wiped out from the European market by the Elkann/Marchionne duo, who have soaped up the Italian automakers.
A brief historical reminder of the Elkann/Marchionne years for Lancia: during the 1st decade of the new millennium, they tried unsuccessfully to be baroque (Thésis, Delta), then launched low-cost products (Musa and Ypsilon, which were nothing more than clumsily re-bodied Fiat models), and euthanized the brand by rebadging Chryslers: 200c/Flavia, 300C/Thema2, Voyager...
We end on a high note with just one rustic model in the catalog, based on an outdated platform/engine combination: the previous-generation Ypsilon, sold only in Italy. A fine honor roll for Elkann/Marchionne.
First of all, hello everyone.
Except that in early 2000, neither Elkann nor Marchionne were at the helm of what was not yet FCA.
The Musa - again, they had nothing to do with it - and the low-cost Ypsilon? Are you serious? And both cars didn't sell too badly.
The previous-generation Ypsilon sold almost as much in its own market as the DS range did across Europe.
The only lapse in taste was the "Chryslerization" of the top range.
You can criticize the Elkann/Marchionne duo all you like - I was one of the first to do so - but they had succeeded in making North and South America the goose that laid the golden eggs... which Tavares was in the process of killing before his "resignation". Or give real models to Alfa Romeo, not thinly disguised Peugeots like the former Portuguese boss.
Happy New Year to all.
Yes and no. Marchione had clearly said that Lancia was of no interest to him, before getting back on track, politically because in Italy it was not going down well. In short, we know what happened next: no serious investment, just survival, taking full advantage of Italian credulity to refurbish rebodied Pandas (you have to drive a 2020 Ypsilon, for example, to realize what an antique it is... even my 2000 Y was better!).
It's not a Lancia, but a sadly made-up 208.
Standardization isn't all good...
Quella appena uscita invece era una Lancia? No era una fiat Panda inventata....
The new Ypsilon is no more and no less than a slightly redesigned and improved Peugeot 208. But it's still a Stellantis product, expensive, lacking in reliability and, above all, good after-sales service. Personally, I think that the former P. S. A. has intentionally (or not?!) harmed the only other strong brand in the Stellantis group. Under the pretext of cutting costs, Mr. Tavarès has done enormous harm to the European automotive industry. He has greatly enriched shareholders at the expense of the quality and reliability of the cars produced in recent years...
A good Italian engine and everything will be better
A good 1.4L Fiat? :))
1368cc 16v...not the cleanest but...
It didn't sell, but how odd that it should have been a hit.
And if it's simply not the case that no one is interested in it, since it wears nothing more than a 208 and is aimed at nostalgics (already in their sixties at least) of a brand that no longer exists, and that the younger generations don't know, the Gamma will never come out and it's better to let Vincenzo Lancia sleep easy.
No better!👌
Stellantis is scary, very scary! Focused on Peugeot since its creation, ex PSA's setbacks with its puretech and airbags aren't helping.
Fiat, Alfa, Maserati, Abarth, ( the theme of the day ) Lancia, are doing badly. Those are the Italians, but Opel's no better, Citroën and Peugeot bof, bof !!! What about the Americans?
The poor health of Italian brands is due to the disastrous 15-year policy of the Elkann/Marchionne duo.
C Tavarès can be blamed for a lot of things, but the revival of the Italian brands is to his credit, whatever some on this forum may think.
Since 2021, Fiat has presented the SUV 600, the Grande Panda, which will soon be joined by another SUV and an SUV coupé.
Lancia has just launched the Ypsilon, and announced the Gamma and another vehicle.
Alfa has unveiled the Junior, and within 3 years will renew the Stelvio, Giulia and Tonale, 3 flawed models that have never found their audience.
The relaunch of Fiat, Alfa and Lancia deprives the other European brands of investments in technologies such as full hybrids (like Toyota) and/or which would have enabled them to expand their model portfolios to better compete with generalists like VW, Toyota and the Koreans Hyundai and Kia on the European market.
Italian brands have sunk to a new low, their customers have left for other climes, and it will be difficult to climb back up the slope in a context of heightened competition.
Except that with Marchionne we had exceptional cars, like the Giulia and Stelvio, exciting thermal Abarths, and a fairly extensive Fiat range. With Tavares, we get derivative Peugeots, PureTech everywhere, the death of Italian engines, and forced electrification that doesn't work.
So Tavares' balance sheet is just a mess. It's no wonder he got the sack, the rationalization man who didn't understand a thing about Italian brands.
Mouais so exceptional that I hardly ever see them. Don't confuse driving qualities (the 2 are good, although they're already too heavy... it was the forerunner of the current platform in the end) with commercial results. The Giulia doesn't even come close to matching the already struggling 159. Alfa customers aren't the ones who buy the German trio, and Marchione has seriously forgotten that.
Investments were minimal and would have been made under FCA, as evidenced by the Centoventi concept that heralded a future Panda. As for the "Italian" models released under Stellantis, they're just Peugeot/Citroën clones with specific bodywork, nothing that would deprive the Group's other brands of anything. What weighs heavily on resources, on the other hand, are firstly the exceptional dividends paid on the sale of Magneti and the FCA/PSA merger, and then the delirious annual dividends paid since then in a context of crisis and technological under-investment (before anyone points the finger at FCA, let me remind you that the STLA City and Giorgio-evo platforms exist and are performing well, whereas the 3008 platform is largely disappointing, far too heavy due to C. Tavares' refusal to invest in materials. Tavares' refusal to invest in materials, and unless this platform is significantly upgraded, the future Tonale will be just as disappointing).
Perfectly agree, those responsible are the ones.....
Damit bin ich ganz und gar nicht einverstanden. Marchionne verstarb im August 2018 recht unerwartet. Er hatte im Frühjahr noch versichert, unter ihm gäbe es keine Fusion mit PSA, im August ist er dann leider verstorben und im Oktober begannen die Fusions Gespräche. Nur durch ihn wurde 2014 bei Alfa alles auf reset gestellt. Leider hatte er nicht mehr Zeit, denn nach Stelvio und Giulia hätten noch andere Modelle kommen sollen, aber nach der Fusion kam stattdessen ein Tonale und der junior. Von denen ich nicht viel halte. Einziger Lichtblick ist das Tavares in den Ruhestand geschickt wurde.
"C Tavarès can be blamed for many things, but the revival of Italian brands is to his credit, displease some on this forum."
At the same time, it's not difficult with quasi-rebranding.
Not all the Italians of the Tavares era are success stories, far from it. The Jeep Avenger - yes, it was designed and developed in Italy - struggled and was a disaster in terms of reliability, the 600 struggled to sell, the Topolino was confidential, and the Junior got off to a worse start than the Tonale.
Then there's the future Multipla... which will be a rebadged C3 Aircross, and the SUV Coupé... which will certainly be based on the future Citroën Basalt.
Not very glamorous.
Warum man Deutschland als größten europäischen Markt mit als letztes in Angriff nimmt bleibt das Geheimnis von Stellantis.
The new Lancia Ypsilon is luxurious, but it doesn't have the engines to convince. What's more, it's too close to a 208. For the Italians, we're going from an inexpensive model, the old Ypsilon, to a very expensive one.
Ich als passionierter Alfa Fahrer kann ein Lied singen: " Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert.....lebt sichs u.s.w. " Alfa hat heute noch immer unter der miserablen Qualität der 70er Jahre ( zumindest in Deutschland) zu leiden. Immer wieder werde ich in die Position gedrängt mich zu verteidigen und die Qualität der HEUTIGEN Marke klarzustellen! Bei Lancia ist es doch zu 100% GENAUSO!!!! Einen derartig schlechten Ruf für Qualität und Haltbarkeit der Fahrzeuge. Die Marke hat sich allerdings viel später, in den 2000ern damit zugrunde gerichtet. Indem Sie teure, anfällige, z. Teil minderwertige Qualitäten vernarktet haben! Bestimmt ist der Ypsilon ein wahnsinnig tolles Auto. Qualitativ bestimmt um Längen besser....am Preis liegt es garantiert nicht! Übelst teure Peugeot 308 usw. verkaufen sich doch auch auch......ES IST DER RUF der einem vorraus eilt!
Reminiscent of the days when we used to scrutinize DS sales figures in China...
If Lancia wants to sell its ypsilon in France, it would have to start by having a few distributors spread out by region, to be able to see it and try it out! You don't buy a car at that price on the Internet without trying it out. As I live in the 65, my wife would be very interested in such conditions! It's impossible at the moment, even though there are Alfa distributors all over the place who could take on the Lancia brand!
If Lancia wants to sell its ypsilon in France, it would have to start by having a few distributors spread out by region, to be able to see it and try it out! You don't buy a car at that price on the Internet without trying it out. As I live in the 65, my wife would be very interested in such conditions! It's impossible at the moment, even though there are Alfa distributors all over the place who could take on the Lancia brand!
It's literally industrial sabotage against Italian brands, nothing more. If you wanted to make competitors disappear, you couldn't do it any better. What's next? We'll simply be told that the Alfa and Lancia relaunches aren't working (and that's understandable when you see what's on offer, which is ugly, expensive and unusable on a daily basis), that there aren't any customers, so these brands aren't profitable, and that's the end of it, sorry... On the other hand, to console you, we've got Peugeots and DSs to sell, yes we do!
Little with nothing or swan song.
To avoid bankruptcy, or at the very least be "opeable", some manufacturers have joined forces, the idea being to achieve economies of scale. For example, the 208 is available from Opel and Lancia. But in the end, this does not mask the lack of investment in EV R&D and batteries. Chinese manufacturers, subsidized by the Chinese state and with a huge market, are going to do with our automotive industry what they did with our photovoltaic and telephone industries. It's all the easier because our market is open. Tesla will survive, but Lancia won't. Alcantara just won't cut it anymore. A former Lancia owner
Ich hatte zwei Ypsilon aus der Generation von 2003-2011. Ich hätte gerne wieder einen genommen, aber das neue Modell gefällt mir ganz und gar nicht. So habe ich mich für einen Toyota Yaris entschieden.
Marchione was a remarkable financier and an excellent tactician: he succeeded in splitting GM, and pulled off the coup of the century with the takeover of the Chrysler group, traumatized by the failure of Daimler Benz. But the main aim of his duo with Elkann was to generate as many dividends as possible, which was accompanied by under-investment in Europe and chaotic management of the Fca group's various brands. As far as Alfa Romeo is concerned, you're forgetting the many announcements of ambitious product plans that were cancelled a few months later. As for the Giulia and Stelvio duo, you're also forgetting that these two models were built on the Giorgio platform, which not only cost a fortune (without being profitable due to lack of volumes) but was not designed for any kind of electrification (which made them out-of-market due to prohibitive malus).
The Elkann/Marchionne balance sheet is truly calamitous and these two have an aggravated responsibility no matter what you think. You may be passionate about the brand, but that doesn't justify a certain dishonesty in assessing the various balance sheets...
"but which were not designed for any kind of electrification (which made them out-of-market models due to prohibitive malus)."
And yet the electric Maserati Grecale and GranTurismo Folgore are based on the Giorgio.
You can electrify anything if you pay for it! Have you seen the price of these Maseratis? And what's more, it's not even profitable. In short, more money thrown out the window just to please the rich Italians. Tavares couldn't do a thing to stop it. In fact, since the Merchione era, Italy's cars have been just for the rich. Ferrari, Lamborghini and even the overpriced 500E....but nothing for the working class, who have made Fiat's fortune for years. I hope the brands will finally be phased out. Only Fiat deserves a relaunch because it still has a lot of customers. The rest is money spent for nothing.
I spent all last week in Turin. I didn't see a single one. On the other hand, Ypsilons of the previous generation are everywhere. I'm dubious about their success.
Surprising? I'd say not. Frankly, sometimes I get the impression that the manufacturers' marketing experts (it's not just Stellantis who's up to no good) are living in a bubble and imagining things out of thin air just to please themselves.
:-), Lancia geht runter wie warme Milch, tolle Historie und Autos inkl. Geschichte. Das Beste am neuen Ypsilon ist die Werbung, das Auto ist ein Mix aus Peugeot, Opel und innen China Style. Da springt nix ins Auge, null Haptik oder Edles zu erblicken. Lancia ist leider verstorben, jetzt vergewaltigt man nur mehr diesen edlen Namen mit seiner Historie. Leichenfledderei nennt man so etwas oder uns für Dumm verkaufen ...