Lancia is launching in Turkey and is using the Istanbul International Auto Show this week to showcase its products in front of Turkish buyers for the first time. Emphasising the importance Lancia are attaching to penetrating this market, the model range is led out by the new Delta HPE Concept Car which is making its first public appearance since its international debut at the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile in September, while the luxurious stand used at the French show has been transferred to Turkey. Penetrating this market is a fresh step in the revival of the Lancia brand, and adds another important chapter during their 100th anniversary year.

Turkey is rapidly growing in importance to Fiat Auto; as a regional manufacturing base which provides a strategic gateway to the emerging Asian markets as well as the mature European ones, and as a growth new vehicle market in its own right. Fiat Auto's manufacturing interests in Turkey are managed through Tofas, a joint venture company which is split equally between Fiat and Koç Holdings; and which builds the Doblò light commercial van range and from 2007 the Fiat Linea and a new commercial vehicle dubbed "Minicargo" which includes PSA Peugeot-Citroën as a project partner. Now Tofas has become the Lancia distributor for Turkey, the first stop in a new global push for Fiat Auto's luxury brand. Next year Lancia will arrive in Russia and push out in Scandinavia, followed by a return to the right hand drive markets it vacated a decade and a half ago, including the UK and Japan, while Australia and South Africa are likely future candidates.
 

However this week the focus of the Lancia brand is on Turkey, and the 10th edition of the prestigious Istanbul International Auto Show in particular. The motor show runs daily until 12th November. On a 406m2 stand at the spacious CNR Expo Center, they are offering an enchanting presentation for visitors addicted to genuine and unique “Maison Lancia” lines, and the brand’s centennial celebrations.

The features that are part of the Lancia DNA highlight Lancia as a car equipped with cutting-edge technology, yet emphasizing the traditional aspects, adding up to a capacity that satisfies customers who demand a “substantial product” as well as privilege and prestige. On show is the newly facelifted 'pocket flagship' Ypsilon hatchback, which premièred at the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile back in September; the Musa 'mini MPV'; and the super-luxurious executive Thesis saloon, which is being shown to the public in Istanbul dressed in the now-traditional 'bi-colore' paint finish.