Lancia previews the Ypsilon HF and the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF competition version

Lancia is one of those historic brands that has risen from its ashes to once again take on the automotive scene with the Ypsilon, a name with a long history within the Italian marque that now returns as a compact that can adopt a mild-hybrid powertrain (MHEV) or be fully electric.

The Lancia Ypsilon still has a long way to go in the premium B-segment, the niche on which the Stellantis group has focused this new vehicle. Even so, the brand keeps offering glimpses of what is to come with the Ypsilon, and while both the brand and the name of its new model are a nod to Lancia’s past, the company announces that the Ypsilon will soon receive the HF suffix, two letters that are immediately associated with the iconic Delta HF Integrale.

In addition, Lancia shows the first photographs of the Ypsilon HF, revealing its lines, which the brand describes as muscular and aggressive and inspired by the sports cars Lancia once built. I wonder where we find even a shred of inspiration in, for example, the Delta S4 or the Delta HF Integrale. Inside, it’s more of the same, with a “sportiness” reflected in bucket-style seats and leather upholstery in different shades with red stitching.

The offence to the HF badge doesn’t end here, because Lancia says the Ypsilon HF will receive a fully electric powertrain whose motor will deliver 240 CV, allowing it to reach 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds. Let us recall that the standard electric Lancia Ypsilon delivers 156 CV and is paired with a 51 kWh lithium-ion battery.

For now these are the first available details. We will have to wait a little longer to learn more about this electric sports car, because its arrival is not expected until 2025, and note that the future Gamma and Delta models from Lancia will also carry the HF designation.

Lancia returns to rallying with the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF

It is curious that Lancia revives the HF name for the Ypsilon and will offer it to the public as an electric vehicle, while at the same time the brand returns to the World Rally Championship, specifically to the R4 category with the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF, whose heart will be a combustion engine. Is it too ironic, or does it only seem so to me?

Lancia has also shown the first images of the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF and, as if that were not enough, it does so in a livery that any motorsport or rally fan will immediately recognise and associate with Lancia: that of Martini Racing. The brand has also confirmed its first specifications: it will be powered by a three-cylinder, 1,200 cc engine delivering 212 CV, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox that sends torque to the front axle.