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Car Magazine Fiat unfurls its Lancia masterplan
Hot on the heels of last month's revelations in these pages about the return of Lancia to the UK, CAR has been given an exclusive insight into the company's five-year plan.
It looks as if fans of the badge are in for a treat, with names such as Delta, Aurelia and Fulvia set to play a part in a bid to produce 300,000 cars by 2010.
Lancia's newly confirmed position as a core brand within the Fiat Auto stable will see
it move closer to Fiat itself, while Alfa Romeo looks to strengthen its ties with Maserati. Lancia will distinguish itself from Alfa by eschewing sportiness in favour of style, design, quality and an inherent sense of Italian verve, described by Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne as italianita.
'The only way Lancia can prosper and grow is by creating new synergies.' Marchionne told CAR. 'On the dealer front, Lancia will team up with Alfa wherever
it makes sense. In engineering terms, they will have to share existing platforms and technologies. But, as far as positioning in the market is concerned, Lancia's role is more clear-cut than Alfa's.'
Marchionne is not about to make a mistake based on emotion. 'Quite frankly, I don't know that much about cars,' he told us. 'But I think I can tell a safe investment from a risky one. That's why no money will be freed unless these petrolheads can present a solid business case.'
The petrolheads in question are headed up by newly appointed Lancia MD Olivier François, supported by ex-Maserati r&d chief Giuseppe Bonollo and former Mini and Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson. François is in no doubt about the task in hand. 'We are facing two fundamental problems,' he says. 'One is that 80 percent of our sales are currently absorbed by the domestic market, the other one is that 65 percent of or production volume is covered by the low-margin Ypsilon. With the Delta due in the first quarter of 2008, the mix will obviously change, but we nonetheless need to increase exports and sell 25,000 of the 60,000 planned HPE units outside Italy. To reach this goal, we shall return to Scandinavia and enter Russia next year. In 2008, the key right-hand drive markets of Japan and the UK are due to follow.'
The Lancia model plan is all but complete, although without a rear-wheel drive platform. The next generation Thesis saloon, due in 2009, will be renamed Aurelia, and will eventually spawn a GT version recalling the spirit of the original name. If there's enough cash around, a Spyder version and a potent HF turbo may follow.
The Delta HPE, which is based on the Fiat Bravo, has been billed as Lancia's turnaround model, but the Fulvia may be the one to watch. Inspired by the 2005 Fulvietta show car,
it features a retractable hardtop. Bonollo's team tried to make the striking sheet metal fit the architecture of the Grande Punto, but finally switched to the bigger and stronger Bravo. Due in 2009, the Fulvia will use a shortened A-segment components set, and will be powered by higher performance editions of the familiar Fiat units. Since the Delta HPE is to be fed from the same parts shelf, the combined volumes begin to look interesting. A Delta coupé may follow.
Other models will include the recently revised Ypsilon, the Musa MPV and the larger MPV, called Phedra, which will resurface as a Mercedes R-class rival. 'To be accepted as a serious player in the premium segment, we must offer a complete range.' says Marchionne.
Il futuro della Lancia.
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