2025 Lancia Ypsilon HF electric hot hatch signals Italian brand’s return to rallying roots
Stellantis has released pictures of the all-new 2025 Lancia Ypsilon HF electric hot hatch that it will launch in Europe to help spearhead the brand’s continued revival when it goes on sale in Italy in May 2025.
Revealed alongside the competition-spec Lancia Ypsilon Rally 4 HF set to race in the FIA Rally 4 category in full Martini livery, it’s hard not to draw parallels with the new all-electric hot hatch with the glorious models of the past, like the road and rally versions of the legendary Lancia Delta HF Integrale.
Carrying the HF badge – the acronym for ‘high fidelity’ that was first used by the brand back in 1966, the new Ypsilon HF comes with a single 177kW electric motor that drives the front wheels and hauls the small hatch from 0-100km/h in just 5.8 seconds.
That’s a big boost on the regular EV’s 115kW/260Nm output, although the faster version is believed to share the standard 51kWh battery that provides a range up to 400km and can be topped up from 20-80 per cent in a claimed 25 minutes.
Improving its handling, the Ypsilon comes standard with wider plastic arches that contain suspension that features a broader track compared to the less powerful base model, and it gets lower and stiffer springs and bespoke dampers.
Riding on larger wheels, it’s thought the Ypsilon also bags a high-performance brake upgrade.
Inside, HF decals adorn the cabin, while cool-looking blue Alcantara sports seats feature integrated head restraints.
Interestingly, the rally-bred version of the Ypsilon isn’t all-electric.
Instead, the race car is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine that produces 156kW and combines with a five-speed gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential.
In Europe, the same 1.2-litre triple uses 48-volt mild-hybrid tech to produce up to 74kW providing a low-cost version of the Ypsilon to replace what was, until recently, Italy’s best-selling car.
Providing Lancia the option of using either electrified combustion engines or a full EV powertrain Ypsilon that sits on the Stellantis’ Common Modular Platform (CMF) that has been developed for both EV and combustion powertrains. It currently underpins both the new Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600 and Alfa Romeo Junior SUVs.
Lancia has already announced that in Italy the Ypsilon will initially be offered in three trim levels – the base model, LX and Edizione Cassina – with either hybrid or all-electric power.
Top-of-the-range versions bag dual 10.25-inch screens and Level 2 autonomous driving aids, plus a cabin air filtration system as standard.
After launching in Italy in 2024, the brand will return to Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, Spain, France and Germany in 2025.
Once introduced, the Ypsilon will be followed up by the Gamma SUV in 2026 and the long-awaited Delta replacement in 2028 that is also thought to look like a higher-riding SUV.
Lancia’s has yet to announce a return to right-hand drive markets like the UK or Japan but when it does the Ypsilon could be on the cards for Australia, although the brand will have its work cut out making an impact as its line-up hasn’t been sold Down Under officially since 1984.
