New styling for the ultimate in customisation
 

Retro hints cleverly reworked for a new audience. This is the original and appealing idea behind the styling of the Lancia Ypsilon. Suffice it to say that it was inspired by the unforgettable Lancia Ardea. The shape has been creatively re-interpreted and the car has been adapted to present-day handling needs. The result is a car with an original profile, fully in keeping with new demands for a softer, more sensual and feminine shape. The most striking thing of all is the unmistakable Lancia sense of breeding. An air of indefinable Italian-ness somehow turns an Italian-made product into a unique object of desire. It happens in the case of fashion garments and accessories. And it happens for cars. Any car’s success is the result of a lucky break, a flash of stylistic intuition backed by research into new taste trends, emerging customer needs and projections relating to market and rival model trends. And then this complicated equation is judged by the harshest yardstick: time.

Prominent new features on the model include an original grille and special mouldings that are different for each specification. In detail, the sporty grille on the Argento version is in metalluro while the grille and side mouldings are chrome on the Oro Bianco and Oro Giallo specifications. Lastly, the Platino version offers a chrome grille with hot stamped detail and chrome side mouldings.

The sculpted front end reveals attractive proportions and is dominated by a large vertical grille that communicates a sense of superiority and class. The immediate impact as far as the public is concerned is of a compact car that is also elegant and refined. This impression is reinforced by wraparound bumpers painted the same colour as the body, with removable rubber bumpers. The lack of corners and protruding parts on the bumper limits possible damage to pedestrians if they are struck lightly in town traffic. The bumper also incorporates the foglights. The light clusters are gem-like and clean-shaped in line with the new brand style philosophy. The headlights are strikingly bright. As an option, they can also be fitted with a light sensor that turns them on automatically in a tunnel or at dusk.

This spareness of form is also apparent in the side view and the car’s tail end. The compact, beautifully proportioned body features elongated sides marked by a stylish horizontal line of great visual impact. This motif runs along the length of the car, over the wheelarches, to form a conceptual link between front and rear. This seamless appearance makes the Lancia Ypsilon look compact and safe yet also thrusting and ready to pounce.

Lancia styling cues are again apparent at the rear, where tall upright tail-lights enhanced by a slender, chic chrome frame enclose a generous tailgate with a finely-balanced mix of metal and glass. The overall impression of a solid, protective car is increased by a styling strategy that causes the lines of the rear end to converge on a single imaginary focal point situated low down behind the Ypsilon. Big front and rear bumpers increase the impression that the car is standing on a solid base.

Another new external attraction of the New Ypsilon is a colour range made up of no fewer than 15 body shades that emphasise the model’s smooth lines still further (7 brand new) and 9 new ‘b-colore’ liveries: this is the most extensive range in the segment, and one of the most extensive absolutely: more evidence of Lancia’s attention to colour as a representation of style and Italian flair. As far as the Ypsilon is concerned, colour is not merely a matter of superficial looks but an integral part of a product philosophy based on elegance, glamour, personality, playfulness, skill, style and the widest potential for customisation.

Once you have been charmed by the stylish interior, inside you will find a delightful blend of elegance and innovation. You will appreciate the craftsmanship that is always a feature of Lancia cars and also note the use of top quality materials: from exclusive ‘b-colore’ leather to exquisite Alcantara®, soft velvet and nautical Glamour cloth. The model’s exclusivity comes from this very blend of colours, fabrics and materials. Suffice it to say that customers may choose between more than 700 possible alternatives.
 

The 4 specifications all amount to veritable bespoke outfits. Argento, Oro Bianco, Oro Giallo and Platino: precious metals that beautifully express Lancia’s wish to complement aspects of stylistic elegance, fine materials and attention to detail with a distinctive flair for innovation and sportiness so typical of Lancia by adding high-tech interiors and high-performance materials. With the New Ypsilon, Lancia is breathing new life into tradition with true Italian spirit: working with contrasts, emphasising the importance of detail and craftsmanship, offering top performance interiors: all this plus the personality and customisation of the different specifications.

The details:

1. Ypsilon Argento. Designed for younger customers, with a fresh, dynamic personality. The interior is black with the emphasis on contrasting shiny and opaque colour shades. The gear panel and badge are in silver chrome with Black Moon high-tech cloth on the dashboard and door panels to add a sporty touch. The seats feature a ‘b-colore’ shiny and opaque livery (red/black and silver/black) and silver and red welds are flowing slashes on black centres (like molten metal inserts).

2. Ypsilon Oro Bianco. The black passenger compartment features a high-tech, sporty interior that promises top performance. The well-balanced contrasts are ‘b-colore’. A silver chrome panel and facia and door panels in Black Moon and Blue Moon give the passenger compartment a high-tech, dynamic and sporty atmosphere with elegance. The seats are trimmed with an innovative new tubular space cloth (that combines Lancia’s classic elegant appeal with an innovative high-tech look) derived from research into high-tech fabrics for the garment industry: deep blue and techno grey Airtex. The interior is enhanced by a silver chrome gear knob and gauges. Lancia craftsmanship is evident, as ever, even in this high-tech sporty setting: contrast top-stitching has been used on the gearlever gaiter and perforated leather steering wheel.

3. Ypsilon Oro Giallo. The environment is based on shades of brown and is warm, stylish and even glamorous. The contrast between colours and shiny and opaque surfaces adds appeal. The soft chocolate microfibre on the seat contrasts with the semi-glossy chalky cloth (sand and mink). Though high-performance in appearance, the dashboard and door panels are warmed by brown shades and the panel is gold chrome. The interior is accessorised in a very feminine manner: the gearlever knob is a pearl. Craftsmanship is evident in the contrasting topstitch on the gearlever gaiter and leather steering wheel.

4. Ypsilon Platino. This is similar to the previous specification, with selected materials and colours complemented by fine details. The seat is a sophisticated interplay of contrasts between bright Alcantara Starlight (Ivory and perforated leather against a bright silver background) and fine leather (contrasting natural and Bordeaux leather). The ivory dashboard and door panels lighten and enhance the passenger compartment. Craftsmanship is evident in the contrasting topstitching on the seats, the gearlever gaiter and the leather steering wheel, but above all in the custom Ypsilon embroidery detail on the head-restraints.

From industrial product to unique product item: this was the makeover challenge Lancia took up when it decided to create its pocket flagship. The resulting level of customisation is unparalleled in the very exclusive mini segment. Not to mention the fact that these exclusive combinations are perfect examples of Italian flair that come at a very advantageous price compared to individual option prices. It is therefore no exaggeration to claim that everyone can find the New Ypsilon that best expresses their tastes and lifestyles - and equip it with all the devices that can possibly be fitted to a car these days. Even features that were, until recently, reserved for cars of higher segments. Whatever your choice and customisation level, the Lancia Ypsilon is always a top-class pocket flagship. An ambassador for the inimitable personality that immediately distinguishes a car with the Lancia shield from all the others you see on the road today.