Lancia's 2011 New Year Greeting Card Teases 2012 Ypsilon, Announces Two More New Models

In a surprise move, Lancia literally outlined its forthcoming 2012 Ypsilon supermini through an animated New Year's greeting card posted on a special minisite. And if that's not enough news for you, the chalk-like drawings were accompanied by a teaser message that reads, "A new horizon, three new Lancia models".

The Italian firm did not elaborate on what these models are, however, we beleive that aside from the five-door Ypsilon, which is scheduled to arrive in European dealerships next summer, the other two vehicles will be based on Chrysler models. In particular, the new 300 full size sedan as the Thema flagship, and either the 200 mid-size sedan or the Town and Country, the latter as a replacement for the Phedra MPV.

It has been reported that in order to keep costs down, the Lancia models will be rebadged versions of their Chrysler counterparts with some minor styling tweaks, such as the front grille, exterior and interior trim, and bumper designs. Expect more news on the matter in early 2011.

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Report: Lancia's Chrysler 300-Based Thema and Ypsilon Replacement with 5-doors on their Way

Rumors about a possible successor for the Lancia Thesis, based on the Chrysler’s 300C, have been making the internet rounds for quite some time now, without coming to fruition. Nevertheless, Automotive News is reporting that Fiat is determined to go ahead and reveal the car. Inside sources told the news site that the car will most likely be called Thema, a nameplate that was used for Lancia's flagship sedan in the mid-'80s to mid-'90s. The new sedan model is said to debut at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, alongside the next generation of the Ypsilon supermini.

The exterior design of the Thema will feature some minor tweaks, such as a unique front grille and Euro-spec bumpers. Fiat expects the vast majority of clients (about 80 percent) to opt for a new 230 hp 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine from Italy's VM Motori but it will also offer Chrysler-sourced petrol engines.

Both the 2012 Chrysler 300 and its Lancia counterpart will be built at Chrysler’s Brampton plant in Ontario, Canada. The launch date for the Thema has been set for late 2011 with Fiat expecting to shift somewhere around 15,000 units annually.

With the new Ypsilon, Lancia has even more ambitious plans expecting to sell some 130,000 units a year. For the first time, the sub-compact model will also be offered in a five-door body style, which should help attract more buyers. There’s no information as of yet about the Ypsilon's styling or mechanical hardware.

The current generation of the Italian supermini that was launched in 2002 is based on the older Punto's underpinnings. It will remain in production until the end of 2011, even after its successor will go on sale in June of the same year.

By Csaba Daradics

*The opening photo is a Carscoop Photoshop based on the current Chrysler 300

Source: Autonews

Fiat Panda and Lancia Ypsilon Replacements Pushed Back for 2012

Following CEO Sergio Marchionne's comments at the 2010 Paris Motor Show (see here), Autonews Europe has uncovered new information regarding the Fiat Group's future product launches.

One of Fiat's most important models in Europe, the third generation Panda, was originally due in summer 2010 but its launch had already been pushed back to September 2011. Now, sources inside the company told the news site that the introduction of the small five-door hatchback will be further delayed until January 2012.

The third generation Lancia Ypsilon supermini has also been delayed more than two years, as have the replacements for the Fiat Idea / Lancia Musa small MPV twins and the Fiat Multipla 3+3 seater people carrier, which has been in production since 1998. The latter two launches were scheduled for December 2011 but have now been postponed until the second half of 2012.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne froze his company's spending in 2008 as the financial crisis hit Europe. Spending was set to return to normal this year, but has now been postponed indefinitely in light of what Marchionne perceives as an unimproved European new car market.

He now predicts a weaker Q1 2011 than Q1 2010, due to the ending of scrappage schemes in many European countries. The rest of 2011 is expected to be no better sale wise for Fiat, Marchionne predicts.

Analysts are predicting that Fiat's new car sales are likely to continue to decline without any new products; sales in Europe fell 13.9% to 723,356 vehicles in the first eight months of 2011 in a market that declined only 3.5%, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

Stuart Pearson, an auto analyst at Morgan Stanley in London, says: "Fiat is playing a dangerous game and by delaying key models risks missing any European Union recovery if they are wrong on the timing. Customers are only paying for brand new metal."

The report did not mention any plans on future Alfa Romeo cars.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: ANE [sub.req]

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2010 Lancia Ypsilon: Artist's Impression of Next Generation Premium Supermini

According to the Fiat Group's product plan, we're supposed to see the new Lancia Ypsilon making its world debut sometime this year but we wouldn't be at all surprised if the Italians have pushed the launch date of the premium supermini back to 2010. But just to get an idea of what the Ypsilon's replacement may look like when it hits European showrooms in 2010, here's a speculative artist's impression of the supermini that was published on Motorionline.

There's no way of being sure about the accuracy of the CGI that blends styling elements from the current Ypsilon and the new Delta hatchback, but we do know that the luxury supermini will share its underpinnings with the Fiat Grande Punto and the Alfa Romeo MiTo hatchbacks.

The engine range will also be common with other models of the Italian group, so buyers can expect to see the 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol as well as new Multijet diesel powerplants.

As with the previous Ypsilon models, the Lancia will feature higher-quality cabin trim and materials with customers being offered a variety of options to personalize their car.

Photos & Link: Motorionline