CarBrandLogos archive · Lancia · 1995

LanciaYpsilon

A small car that outlasted the entire company around it, and now is the company.

Photo: Mihnea Lazăr · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Lancia history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Lancia Ypsilon, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The Ypsilon arrived in 1995 as the replacement for the Autobianchi Y10, a supermini positioned above the mainstream on trim and finish rather than performance. It was a front-wheel-drive three-door with a distinctive cut-off tail and, unusually for the class, a long list of interior fabric and colour combinations that let buyers specify it as a personal item rather than a commodity. It sold on style, and mostly to women, which Lancia acknowledged openly in its marketing.

Lancia Y front101 · Teccirio · CC BY 2.5

Design and engineering

Second and third generations followed the same logic, gaining doors and equipment while staying small. The 2011 car was based on the Fiat 500 platform and was briefly badged a Chrysler in Britain, one of the odder consequences of the Fiat-Chrysler merger.

Lancia Y rear102 · Teccirio · CC BY 2.5

In production

What happened next was not planned. As Lancia's other models were discontinued one by one through the 2010s, the Ypsilon was left as the only car the brand sold, and it was sold in Italy alone. For most of a decade it carried the entire marque, and it did so successfully, regularly ranking among the best-selling cars in the Italian market. A brand founded on structural innovation and rally championships survived on a supermini.

Lancia Y Interior106 · Teccirio · CC BY 2.5

Legacy

A new Ypsilon arrived under Stellantis in 2024 with electric and hybrid options, this time as the first model in a planned relaunch of Lancia across Europe.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1995–present

Technical specification

The Ypsilon, in detail.

Production: 1995–present
Class: Supermini (B)
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Manufacturer: Lanciaefn; name=manufacturer; Fiat Auto (1995–2007) ; Fiat Group Automobiles (2007–2014) ; Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (2014–2021) ; Stellantis (2021–present)

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