19.02.2004 LANCIA'S NEW MUSA COMPACT MPV WILL HEADLINE ITS DISPLAY AT NEXT MONTH'S GENEVA SHOW

Lancia continues its custom of introducing new products to the world at the Geneva Motor Show. After the Thesis in 2001, Phedra in 2002 and Ypsilon in 2003, now comes the turn of the new compact MPV: Lancia Musa.

The new car, indisputable star of the stand, is exhibited in three versions equipped with Multijet power units: two with 1.9 engines and one in a 1.3 version combined with the exclusive D.F.N. ('Dolce Far Niente') robotised gearbox. The three Lancia Musa versions are fitted with Connect Nav+, Sky-dome and 16" alloy wheels in the following shades: Vasari Pearl, Caravaggio Dark Brown and Rossini Grey. Refined colours that blend in perfectly with the stylish Wengé wood floor of the exhibition area. The latest Lancia creation, a medium-sized people-carrier offering complete control over space and mastery of the road takes its bow in this context of great enchantment.

Lancia Musa invites you to share the pleasure of life on board a vehicle that is unique in its segment. A luxury product, by all means, but one that never spills over into ostentation because it is designed round the desires of those who love to enjoy life to the full without forgoing the practical. The entire Lancia stand is a shrine to Italian good taste, all the warmth and appeal you would expect from a fabulous hotel hideaway or a Tuscan farmhouse. Places where hospitality is never just a formality but a warm, frank and cordial embrace.

The exhibition area summarises the essence of the new Lancia Musa, an Italian car that receives its passengers with great hospitality, every detail designed to put them at their ease.

Near the area reserved for Lancia Musa you can see the Lancia Phedra. The Geneva show features the most prestigious version (Emblema) equipped with the powerful 3.0 V6 24v engine and boasting an array of safety, comfort and telematic devices that set it at the very top of its category. Our range leader, the successful Phedra MPV, is displayed on a stylish marble floor.

The spotlights will also be on the Ypsilon, now returning to Geneva fresh from a year of public and critical acclaim, such as the Design Award it won recently in Brussels. Lancia's pocket range leader stands in an area that is a mirror image of the area containing the Lancia Musa. It can be seen on an elliptical stand in top-quality wood and marble flooring. The Lancia Ypsilon appears at the show in Argento and Platino specifications, all equipped with the exclusive 1.3 Multijet and D.F.N. ('Dolce Far Niente') gearbox package.

These automotive gems are joined by Lancia's top model, the prestigious Thesis Emblema 3.2 24v that guarantees customers the satisfaction of driving and being driven in a true elite limousine. Visitors will be able to admire sophisticated interiors created with absolutely top quality materials that feel equally special to touch, selected for their good looks and also the sensory reactions they arouse.

The entire Lancia stand is a warm, welcoming environment with sophisticated, expensive-looking materials that create an impression of luxury and sophistication that is always understated. Carefully crafted top quality materials such as walnut, marble and Wengé wood form a place of great appeal with every detail finished to perfection, ready to enfold visitors into a protective embrace. Airy, sunny images of the Lancia Musa are also projected onto a led screen measuring more than 9m2 that makes a fine hi-tech addition to the stand.

The same warmth is evident inside the Lancia building that forms the background to the exhibition area with its wall of Wengé wood panels. The structure is characteristically yacht-shaped and further embellished by a gorgeous water feature, an ever-present theme on Lancia stands. On the ground floor, you can visit the Lancia boutique. This is made deliberately visible from the outside so that visitors can be drawn in by items of sheer Italian class. If you go up the stairs, you will reach the Martini Terrace, a generous VIP lounge that offers a privileged view over the stand.