Lancia Delta confirmed to return as electric hatch

Thursday, 7 October 2021

The Lancia Delta is set to return, according to the new CEO of the brand. But don’t expect another rorty, turbocharged rally homologation special – the new one will be entirely electrified.

Luca Napolitano, boss of Lancia, recently spoke to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, saying that “everyone wants the Delta, and it cannot be missing from our plans.”

“It will return, and it will be a true Delta: an exciting car, a manifesto of progress and technology. And of course, it will be electric.”

There will be another Delta... but it won’t be a Group A rally specimen.

Considering Lancia is part of Stellantis, there are a few options for the new Delta’s underpinnings. The most likely candidate is either the upcoming STLA Small or STLA Medium platform, depending on how Lancia wants to design and market the electric Delta.

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The electric Delta won’t happen until the second half of the 2020s at least.

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STLA Small is designed for efficient city cars and hatchbacks like the Peugeot 208/308, while Medium encompasses more premium mid-size models like the Alfa Romeo Giulia, although it can also shrink down to power a larger hatchback.

In any case, Corriere della Sera says that these should allow solid-state batteries to provide a range of up to 700 kilometres per charge. Opting for the Medium could let Lancia fit more batteries into the chassis, helping range and performance.

Before we get the new Delta, a fresh Ypsilon will arrive as the final Lancia to be powered by combustion, with an electric SUV following that. Expect the Delta around the 2027 mark.

We will build cars with a great sense of responsibility towards the world we live in, as our customers want a clean drive, and the revolution towards pure electric is in line with our tradition of great technological innovation,” Napolitano added.

Back in August, Stellants CEO, Carlos Tavares, said in his financial results conference call that he views Lancia as a brand about “Italian elegance”, despite currently being a one-model, one-country affair (the Ypsilon is currently only sold in Italy).

“We start with a huge gap in terms of pricing power, vis-à-vis the benchmark, which means that, if we do things well, we have a significant potential to improve our profitability of the Lancia sales.

“And I can tell you that we are preparing for a very exciting turnaround with very exciting models that I have already seen… I can tell you gorgeous cars are coming with strong potential to improve the pricing power.”