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Lancia () is an Italian
car manufacturer This is a list of notable automobile manufacturers with articles on Wikipedia by country. It includes companies that are in business as well as defunct manufacturers. Only companies that have articles here are included. A Algeria * SNVI ...
and a subsidiary of
FCA Italy S.p.A. Stellantis Italy, formerly known as Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. from 2007 to 2014 and FCA Italy S.p.A. from 2014 to 2021, is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenger ...
, which is currently a
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...
division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but its history is traced back to ''Lancia & C.'', a manufacturing concern founded in 1906 in Torino by Vincenzo Lancia (1881–1937) and Claudio Fogolin. It became part of
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
in 1969. The brand is known for its strong
rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...
heritage, and technical innovations such as the unibody chassis of the 1922 Lambda and the five-speed gearbox introduced in the 1948 Ardea. Despite not competing in the World Rally Championship since 1992, Lancia still holds more Manufacturers' Championships than any other brand. Sales of Lancia-branded vehicles declined from over 300,000 annual units sold in 1990 to less than 100,000 by 2010. After corporate parent Fiat acquired a stake in
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
in 2009, the Lancia brand portfolio was modified to include rebadged Chrysler products, for sale in most European markets. In the United Kingdom and Ireland however, Lancias were rebadged as Chryslers. As sales continued to drop the Lancia-badged Chryslers were no longer offered after 2015. Since then, the company's only product has been the Lancia Ypsilon, and sales outside of Italy ended in 2017. Despite Lancia's much smaller brand presence, the Ypsilon continues to be popular in Italy; in fact it was the second best-selling car there in 2019. The newly-merged Franco-Italian-American company Stellantis has stated that it will try to revive Italy’s Lancia, with the move also suggesting there will be more than one model for the brand and sales outside of Italy for the first time in years.


History


Foundation and early years

Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili was founded on 27 November 1906 in Turin by
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
racing drivers, Vincenzo Lancia (1881-1937) and his friend, Claudio Fogolin (1872-1945). The first car manufactured by Lancia was the " Tipo 51" or "12 HP" (later called "Alfa"), which remained in production from 1907 to 1908. It had a small four-cylinder engine with a power output of . In 1910, Lancia components were exported to the United States where they were assembled and sold as SGVs by the SGV Company. In 1915, Lancia also manufactured its first truck, the
Jota Jota may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Iota (Ι, ι), the name of the 9th letter in the Greek alphabet; * (figuratively) ''Something very small'', based on the fact that the letter Iota (lat. i) is the smallest character in the alphabet; * The name of the ...
, that continued as a dedicated series. In 1937, Vincenzo died of a heart attack. His wife, Adele Miglietti Lancia, and his son, Gianni Lancia, took over control of the company. They persuaded Vittorio Jano to join as an engineer. Jano had already made a name for himself by designing various Alfa Romeo models, including some of its most successful race cars ever such as the 6C, P2 and P3. Lancia is renowned in the automotive world for introducing cars with numerous innovations. These include the Theta of 1913, which was the first European production car to feature a complete electrical system as standard equipment. Lancia's first car adopting a monocoque chassis – the Lambda produced from 1922 to 1931 - featured ' Sliding Pillar' independent front suspension that incorporated the spring and hydraulic damper into a single unit (a feature that would be employed in subsequent Lancias, up to the Appia that was replaced in 1963). In 1948, the first 5-speed gearbox was fitted to a production car (Series 3 Ardea). Lancia premiered the first full-production V6 engine, in the 1950
Aurelia Aurelia may refer to: People * Version of feminine given name Aurélie * Aurelia (mother of Caesar) * Aurelia gens, a Roman family * Aurelia Browder, American civil rights activist * Astrud Aurelia, American drag queen Science * ''Aurelia'' (c ...
,1980; page 2 of
www.ritzsite.nl/Lancia/02_LanciaCC.htm
accessdate: 14. June 2016
after earlier industry-leading experiments with V8 and V12 engine configurations. It was also the first manufacturer to produce a V4 engine. Other innovations involved the use of
independent suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in w ...
in production cars (in an era where
live axle A beam axle, rigid axle or solid axle is a dependent suspension design in which a set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft. Beam axles were once commonly used at the rear wheels of a vehicle, but historically they have als ...
s were common practice for both the front and rear axles of a car), and rear transaxles, which were first fitted to the
Aurelia Aurelia may refer to: People * Version of feminine given name Aurélie * Aurelia (mother of Caesar) * Aurelia gens, a Roman family * Aurelia Browder, American civil rights activist * Astrud Aurelia, American drag queen Science * ''Aurelia'' (c ...
and Flaminia range. This drive for innovation, constant quest for excellence, fixation of quality, complex construction processes and antiquated production machinery meant that all cars essentially had to be hand-made. With little commonality between the various models, the cost of production continued to rise, while flat demand eventually affected Lancia's viability. Gianni Lancia, a graduate engineer, was president of Lancia from 1947 to 1955. In 1956, the Pesenti family took over control of Lancia with Carlo Pesenti (1907–1984) in charge of the company.


1969 to present

Fiat launched a take-over bid in October 1969. It was accepted by Lancia as the company was losing significant sums of money, with losses in 1969 being 20 million. This was not the end of the distinctive Lancia marque, and new models in the 1970s such as the
Stratos Stratos may refer to: People As surname *Andreas Stratos (1905–1981), Greek politician and historian *Demetrio Stratos (1945–1979), Italian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and music researcher *Nikolaos Stratos (1872–1922), Greek politicia ...
,
Gamma Gamma (uppercase , lowercase ; ''gámma'') is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter re ...
and
Beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...
proved that
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
wished to preserve the image of the brand it had acquired. Autobianchi, bought by Fiat Group just a year before, was put under the control of Lancia. During the 1970s and 1980s, Lancia had great success in
rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...
, winning many World Rally Championships. During the 1980s, the company cooperated with
Saab Automobile Saab Automobile AB () is a defunct automotive industry, car manufacturer that was founded in Sweden in 1945 when its parent company, Saab AB, began a project to design a small automobile. The first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in ...
, with the Lancia Delta being sold as the Saab 600 in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. The 1985 Lancia Thema also shared a platform with the Saab 9000, Fiat Croma and the Alfa Romeo 164. During the 1990s, all models were closely related to other Fiat models. Starting from 1 February 2007, Fiat's automotive operations were reorganised. Fiat Auto became
Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. Stellantis Italy, formerly known as Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. from 2007 to 2014 and FCA Italy S.p.A. from 2014 to 2021, is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenge ...
,
Fiat S.p.A. Fiat S.p.A., or ''Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino'' (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was an Italian holding company whose original and core activities were in the automotive industry, and that was succeeded by Fiat Chrysler Automobi ...
's branch handling mainstream automotive production. Simultaneously the current company, ''Lancia Automobiles S.p.A.'', was created from the pre-existing brand, and controlled 100% by FCA. In 2011, Lancia moved in a new direction and added new models manufactured by
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
and sold under the Lancia badge in many European markets. Conversely, Lancia-built models began to be sold in right-hand drive markets under the Chrysler badge. In 2015 Lancia's parent company Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. became
FCA Italy S.p.A. Stellantis Italy, formerly known as Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. from 2007 to 2014 and FCA Italy S.p.A. from 2014 to 2021, is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenger ...
, reflecting the earlier incorporation of Fiat S.p.A. into
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest ...
. Despite doubts about the brand's future following the completion of the
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...
merger in 2021, Lancia was made part of a joint group with sister companies Alfa Romeo and DS Automobiles, to develop new premium models for the 2024 model year. As part of Stellantis' recovery plan for Lancia, Luca Napolitano was appointed the car maker's CEO, and Jean-Pierre Ploué its chief designer. Three new electric models were announced in June 2021: a replacement city car for the Ypsilon; a compact crossover (codenamed L74 and rumoured to be named the Aurelia); and a compact hatchback, likely to be a new Delta.


2021 - Lancia's 115th anniversary

Lancia celebrated the 115th anniversary of its foundation in 2021. Luca Napolitano and Jean-Pierre Ploué celebrated Lancia’s 115th anniversary with a docufilm entitled ''Elegance on the move''.


Logo

;1907 From 1907 to 1910 Lancia cars didn't bear a true badge, but rather a brass plaque identifying the manufacturer (Lancia & C.) and chassis code; although some models did have a brass Lancia script on the grille. ;1911 The original Lancia logo was designed by Count
Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia Count, Conte Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia (24 August 1879 in Torino – 7 September 1959 in Ripafratta, San Giuliano Terme near Pisa) was an Italian artist, industrial designer, journalist and automobile enthusiast. He was the son of Roberto Biscaret ...
. In 1910 Vincenzo Lancia asked Biscaretti di Ruffia to design a badge for the company: the Count submitted six watercolour proposal sketches. Vincenzo Lancia chose a round one, composed by a blue lance and flag bearing a Lancia script ("Lancia" means "lance" in Italian) in gold, over a four-spoke steering wheel, with a hand throttle detail on the right spoke. The first car to bear the Lancia logo was the Gamma 20 HP in 1911. ;1929 In 1929 the logo acquired its final layout: the previous round badge was superimposed on a blue shield in the shape of a
Reuleaux triangle A Reuleaux triangle is a curved triangle with constant width, the simplest and best known curve of constant width other than the circle. It is formed from the intersection of three circular disks, each having its center on the boundary of the ...
(as found in one of Biscaretti di Ruffia's six original proposals). Though first applied on the 1929 Dikappa, this badge was only used consistently starting with the 1936
Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...
. ;1957 Beginning with the 1957 Flaminia, Lancia cars switched from the traditional vertical split grille to a horizontal, full-width one. The logo was moved inside the grille opening, and changed to a more stylized chromed metal open-work design; shield and steering wheel became chrome frames, the only remaining enameled surface being the blue field of the flag. This new metal logo was used on most models with some exceptions, namely Zagato-bodied Lancia Fulvias and
Flavias Flaviopolis ( grc, Φλαβιόπολις or Φλαοϋιόπολις), or Phlaouiopolis, or Flavias, was a town of ancient Cilicia. Respecting its history scarcely anything is known, and it cannot be ascertained whether it owed its name to the emp ...
, the Lancia 2000 Berlina (which reprised the traditional upright grille and the round enameled badge) and the Stratos HF (whose ornaments lacked the triangular shield). ;1974 In 1974 the badge was redesigned on Umberto Agnelli's request; it went back to a modernised silver, white and blue version of the 1929 design. Flag and lance were unified in a single shape and dispensed with the earlier minute detailing, the Lancia letters became all of the same size, and the steering wheel became also outlined in blue and lost the hand throttle detail. This logo debuted on the 1979 Lancia Delta, and made its way on the other models as they adopted the split grille introduced by the Delta. Though lightly revised in 2000 with the addition of a chrome shield surround, the 1974 logo was used through four decades, up to 2006. ;2007 The current logo, designed by Robilant Associati, was presented at the 2007
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
—a couple of months after the creation of Lancia Automobiles. While the traditional chrome-framed blue shield has been retained and made three-dimensional, for the first time since 1911 lance and flag are absent; the steering wheel has been stylized into a chromed circle, from which two spikes converge towards the modern Lancia logotype in the centre.


Lancia family

Cavalier Giuseppe Lancia (1860 ( Cuneo) - 1919 ( Bordighera) was an Italian businessman and father of Vincenzo Lancia. When he was sixteen he started a business with food in Italy. Later, for a few years, he made relationships with South America and he created a food industry in Argentina. His efforts and innovations made his company a great success. His company was one of the first food companies in the country and showed new methods in this sector. When he made a fortune, he returned to Italy. By his education, Giuseppe was a translator. In 1875, he married Marianna Orazzi. In 1876, their first son Giovanni was born. In 1879 their daughter Margherita was born. She died in 1894. In 1881, their third child, Vincenzo Lancia, was born. Their second daughter, Anna Maria (later Anna-Maria-Giacobinni), was born in 1884. In their free time, the Lancias spent their time at a villa near Turin. Vincenzo Lancia was born on 24 August 1881 in Fobello near Turin. His father wanted Vincenzo to be a lawyer, but did not have much interest in the humanities. He met the Battista brothers as well as Giovanni Ceirano and became interested in science and technology, especially automobiles. He saw his first cars in Turin and Milan. One of his friends, Carlo Bishareti di Ruffia, had a Benz and that was the first important automobile in his life. When
FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
was founded in 1899, Vincenzo was very active in the company and later became one of the most famous test drivers of Italian automobile brands. In 1922, Vincenzo married his secretary - Adele Miglietti. Vincenzo and Adele had three children: Gianni, Eleonora and Maria. He died on February 15, 1937. Gianni Lancia was born on 24 November 1924 in Turin. He finished his education with his sisters at the Technical University of Pisa. From the time he was a little boy Gianni loved sports, but his greatest passion was motor racing. This led him to become a driver for the Lancia team. Gianni became the boss of Lancia in 1950. He invested a lot of money in expensive prototypes and other unprofitable ventures that led him to sell a big part of the company to Carlo Pesenti in 1957. After that he started a business in the food industry. For a few years he lived in Brazil. He had two sons, Mariele and Vincenzo, from his first marriage, and one son, Lorenzo Lancia, from his marriage to Jacqueline Sassard. He died on 30 June 2014.


Automotive


Current car models


Lancia Ypsilon

The Ypsilon is a premium 5-door supermini car produced since 2011. It is based on an updated Fiat 500 platform. It was previously available for sale in many European markets; however, since 2017, it has only been available in Italy. In the United Kingdom and Ireland it was previously sold as the ''Chrysler Ypsilon''. Although it is the only Lancia car in production and only for sale in Italy, the Ypsilon continues to be popular there; it was the second best-selling car in Italy in 2019.


Past car models


Historical models

The
Lancia Aurelia The Lancia Aurelia is a car produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia from 1950 to the summer of 1958. It is noted for using one of the first series-production V6 engines. Several body styles were offered: 4-door saloon, 2-door GT coupé (B20), ...
introduced the front engine rear transmission configuration later used by Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, GM, Volvo and Maserati, as well as the V6 engine, which is now common. It had inboard rear brakes, an important way of reducing un-sprung weight. The Lancia Stratos was a successful rally car during the 1970s, and helped the company to improve its sporting credentials.


Chrysler-derived models

The second generation Lancia Thema executive car (2011 – 2014) was a re-branded second generation Chrysler 300 unveiled in 2011 to replace the Thesis. It reused the name of the Italian made 1984–94 Thema saloon. It used to be available in various European markets, but for the United Kingdom and Ireland it was only sold as the ''Chrysler 300C''. It was discontinued in 2015. The
Lancia Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...
was a large MPV unveiled in 2011, which was based on the Chrysler Town & Country. It was marketed in various European markets, but for the United Kingdom and Ireland it was only sold as the ''Chrysler Grand Voyager''. It was discontinued in 2015. Between 2012 and 2014, the Chrysler 200 Convertible was rebranded and marketed under the Lancia Flavia name. The Flavia was only available in left-hand drive markets, and thus not sold in the United Kingdom or Ireland. File:" 12 - ITALY - Lancia Thema - Bologna.JPG, Lancia Thema Lancia Voyager 2.8 MultiJet 16v Gold – Frontansicht, 10. März 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg, Lancia Voyager File:Lancia Flavia 2.4 16v – Frontansicht, 9. Juni 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg, Lancia Flavia


Concept cars

Lancia has shown several concept cars to the public including the Flaminia Loratmo (1958), Stratos Zero (1970), the Megagamma by Italdesign Giugiaro and Sibilo by Bertone in 1978, Hit (1988) by Pininfarina, the Bertone-designed
Kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...
(1995), the Dialogos (1998) and Nea in 2000. The company showed the Granturismo Stilnovo and Fulvia concepts in 2003.


Special cars

In the end of 1960, Lancia made their first
landaulet Landaulet may refer to: * Landaulet (carriage), horse-drawn carriage * Landaulet (car) A landaulet, also known as a landaulette, is a car body style where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. Often the driver is separated from t ...
- limousine for the President of Italy, called the Lancia Flaminia 335 Presidenziale. In 1989, Lancia made a limousine version of the Thema. 24 examples for Fiat-Group executives. In 1999, Lancia made a one-off limousine version of the
Kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...
and at the 2004
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
, Stola showed a limousine version of the Thesis.


Export markets

In January 2014, in an interview with '' La Repubblica'', Fiat
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
Sergio Marchionne foreshadowed that Lancia would become an Italy–only brand, and focus only on the Ypsilon supermini range.


United States

While some models had been imported on a small scale during the 1950s to the 1960s, Lancias were sold in the United States from 1975. Sales were comparatively slow, and the range was withdrawn at the same time as Fiat in 1982. In 2009, following Fiat's acquisition of a stake in United States-based
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
and part of Chrysler's restructuring plans, it was stated that Fiat plans for the Chrysler brand and Lancia to co–develop products, with some vehicles being shared. Olivier Francois, Lancia's CEO, took over as CEO of the
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
division in October 2009. Fiat also announced that, depending on the market, some Chrysler cars would be sold as Lancias and vice versa. Francois' plans to re-establish the Chrysler brand as an upscale brand were somewhat muddied by the discontinuance of the
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
brand. At the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, a Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta was on display, but this did not result in sales in the United States, with proposals to instead modify an Alfa Romeo for sale by 2013.


United Kingdom

Lancia's reputation was significantly undermined in 1980, when defective Lancia Beta models, suffering from significant suspension sub-frame corrosion problems, were purchased back from owners by the company in a highly publicised campaign. These cars were later crushed. The brand never recovered from the damage inflicted during the Beta recall and, combined with a range of related factors (including poor residual values, which made their range uncompetitive), decided to withdraw from the right-hand drive market in February 1994. The last model to be sold in the United Kingdom was the Delta, boosted by its rallying reputation, withdrawn from sale in 1995, although a small number of left-hand drive Lancia models have since reached the UK as personal imports. After 1995, there were continuous rumours suggesting Lancia's return to the United Kingdom. In November 2005, '' What Car?'' reported rumours over the alleged return, to rival "affordable" premium makes, such as Saab and Volvo. In September 2006, ''What Car?'' reported that Lancia were returning to the United Kingdom. The relaunch date was set for August 2008. In April 2008, ''
Car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...
'' reported that Lancia had postponed the relaunch. In June 2009, '' Autocar'' reported that the relaunch of Lancia was now “very unlikely”. These rumours were credible since Lancia models, by that time, shared common parts with
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
and Alfa Romeo models that were imported, sold and maintained by an existing dealership network. The cost to reestablish the brand would therefore be minimal. In December 2008, however, Fiat cancelled relaunch plans, due to financial concerns coinciding with the global financial crisis, and the recession. In 2011, Lancia Ypsilon and Delta models were eventually reintroduced to the United Kingdom, but were sold under the Chrysler marque. In January 2014, the slow-selling Delta model was dropped from this line-up. In March 2015, Fiat Group announced that the Chrysler brand would be discontinued in the United Kingdom in 2017, citing a desire to focus largely on the Jeep brand instead.


Japan

A small number of Lancia models were previously sold in Japan, such as Fulvia,
Stratos Stratos may refer to: People As surname *Andreas Stratos (1905–1981), Greek politician and historian *Demetrio Stratos (1945–1979), Italian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and music researcher *Nikolaos Stratos (1872–1922), Greek politicia ...
and Delta. More recently, some models have been sold under the Chrysler brand, such as the Ypsilon.


Lancia in motorsport


Formula One

After Vincenzo Lancia's son
Gianni Gianni is an Italian name (occasionally a surname), a short form of the Italian Giovanni and a cognate of John meaning God is gracious. Gianni is the most common diminutive of Giovanni in Italian. People with this given name * Gianni Agnelli (i ...
became director of the firm, it started to take part more frequently in motorsport, eventually deciding to build a Grand Prix car. Vittorio Jano was the new designer for Lancia and his Lancia D50 was entered into the
1954 Spanish Grand Prix The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 1954 at Pedralbes. It was the ninth and final race in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn after he started from ...
, where Alberto Ascari took the pole position and drove the fastest lap. In the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix Ascari crashed into the harbour after missing a chicane. One week later Ascari was killed in an accident driving a Ferrari sports car at Monza. With Ascari's death and Lancia's financial problems the company withdrew from Grand Prix racing. Altogether Lancia took two victories and ten podiums in Formula One. Remnants of the Lancia team were transferred to
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in refere ...
, where
Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio (American Spanish: , ; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995), nicknamed ''El Chueco'' ("the bowlegged" or "bandy legged one") or ''El Maestro'' ("The Master" or "The Teacher"), was an Argentine racing car driver. He dominated t ...
won the 1956 championship with a Lancia-Ferrari car.


Rallying

Lancia has been very successful in motorsport over the years, and mostly in the arena of
rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...
. Prior to the forming of the World Rally Championship (WRC), Lancia took the final International Championship for Manufacturers title with the Fulvia in 1972. In the WRC, they remain the most statistically successful marque (despite having withdrawn at the end of the 1993 season), winning constructors' titles with the
Stratos Stratos may refer to: People As surname *Andreas Stratos (1905–1981), Greek politician and historian *Demetrio Stratos (1945–1979), Italian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and music researcher *Nikolaos Stratos (1872–1922), Greek politicia ...
(
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
,
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
and
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
), the
037 37 may refer to: * 37 (number), the natural number following 36 and preceding 38 Years * 37 BC * AD 37 * 1937 * 2037 Other uses * ''37'' (album), by King Never, 2013 * ''37'' (film), a 2016 film about the murder of Kitty Genovese * 37 (MBTA b ...
(
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
) and the Delta (six consecutive wins from
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
to
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
). The Delta is also the most successful individual model designation ever to compete in rallying. All this gave Lancia a total of 11
Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
over the years and 15 European Championship from 1969 to 1992. Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion both won two drivers' titles with the Delta. Among other drivers to take several World Rally Championship wins with Lancia were Markku Alén, Didier Auriol,
Sandro Munari Sandro Munari (born 27 March 1940), also nicknamed 'Il Drago' (The Dragon) is a former motor racing and rally driver from Italy. Career Sandro Munari was born in Cavarzere, in the Veneto region. He began rallying in 1965 and won the Italian Ral ...
, Bernard Darniche, Walter Röhrl, Björn Waldegård and Henri Toivonen. The history of the brand in rallying is also tainted with tragedy, with deaths of Italian driver Attilio Bettega at the 1985 Tour de Corse in a Lancia 037 and then Finnish championship favourite Toivonen in a Lancia Delta S4 at the same rally exactly a year later. These deaths would eventually lead to the end of Group B rallying.


Sports car racing

In 1951 Mille Miglia, Lancia Aurelia B20 GT came second overall. The car was driven by Thornley Kelham. In 1953, Umberto Maglioli won the Targa Florio at the wheel of the Lancia D20. The same year Lancia introduced the D24 sports racer, which was an evolution of D23 model, but rebodied as a spider by Pinin Farina. Its most significant victories were the
1953 Carrera Panamericana The 1953 Carrera Panamericana was the fourth running of the Carrera Panamericana Mexican sports car racing event, and the first edition as a part of the World Sportscar Championship. The race took place from 19–23 November, and was run from Tuxt ...
, the
1954 Mille Miglia The 1954 Mille Miglia (officially XXI Mille Miglia ), was a motor race open to Sports Cars, GT cars and Touring Cars. It was the 21st Mille Miglia and the third race of the 1954 World Sportscar Championship. The race was held on the public road ...
and the 1954 Targa Florio. During Lancia's dominance of rallying, the company also expanded into sports cars in the late 1970s until the mid-1980s. It first ran the Stratos HF in Group 4, and for a brief interlude with a rare Group 5 version. The car was replaced with the successful Beta Montecarlo Turbo winning the FIA's
1980 World Championship for Makes The 1980 World Sportscar Championship season was the 28th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship for Makes which was contested as a series running under both Fédération Internationale d ...
and
1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes The 1981 World Sportscar Championship season was the 29th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1981 FIA World Endurance Championship which was contested over a fifteen race series which ran from 31 January to 27 ...
and the 1980 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft. In 1982 the team moved up to Group 6 with the LC1 Spyder, followed by the Group C LC2 coupé which featured a
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
powerplant in 1983. The LC2 was a match for the standard-setting
Porsche 956 The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was later upgraded to the 956B in 1984. In 1983, driven by Stefan Bellof, this car est ...
in terms of raw speed, securing 13 pole positions over its lifetime; however, its results were hampered by poor reliability and fuel economy, and it only managed to win three
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
and
World Endurance Championship World Endurance Championship may refer to: * FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series held since 2012 * World Sportscar Championship, an auto racing series which used the title World Endurance Championship from 1981 to 1985 * Endura ...
races. The team's inability to compete against the dominant
Porsche 956 The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was later upgraded to the 956B in 1984. In 1983, driven by Stefan Bellof, this car est ...
and 962 sports cars led it to drop out of sportscar racing at the end of 1986 in order to concentrate on rallying, although private teams continued to enter LC2s with declining results until the early 1990s.


Titles

* 1979 World Championship for Makes (under 2-litre division) *
1980 World Championship for Makes The 1980 World Sportscar Championship season was the 28th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship for Makes which was contested as a series running under both Fédération Internationale d ...
(overall) *
1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes The 1981 World Sportscar Championship season was the 29th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1981 FIA World Endurance Championship which was contested over a fifteen race series which ran from 31 January to 27 ...
(overall) *1980 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft


Commercial vehicles

Lancia produced a wide range of vans, trucks, buses and military vehicles from the beginning, forming Lancia Veicoli Industriali in 1912. Lancia slowly withdrew from the commercial sectors during the late 1960s and production of commercial vehicles ended in the early 1970s, shortly after Fiat's takeover of the company, with some models transferred to
Iveco IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger o ...
.


Light commercial vehicles

* 1958 Lancia Ardea Furgoncino (van), Cassone (pick-up) * 1950 Lancia Beta * 1953 Lancia Appia Furgoncino (van), Camioncino (pick-up) * 1959
Lancia Jolly The Lancia Jolly was a light commercial vehicle produced by the Italy, Italian vehicle manufacturer Lancia between 1959 and 1963. In four years, 3011 units were produced. The low-loading Jolly, based on the Lancia Appia, Appia passenger car, wa ...
* 1963
Lancia Superjolly The Lancia Superjolly is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Italy, Italian manufacturer Lancia. The truck, which shares its 815.000 engine and some other mechanicals with the Lancia Flavia, is the successor of the Lancia Appia, Appia-based ...


Heavy commercial vehicles

* 1915 Lancia Jota * 1915 Lancia Djota * 1921 Lancia Triota * 1921 Lancia Tetrajota * 1924 Lancia Pentajota * 1926 Lancia Esajota * 1927
Lancia Eptajota The Lancia Jota (from the Greek letter iota) is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Lancia between 1915 and 1935. The original 1915 Jota was the first true Lancia truck; throughout the following two decades it was made in a number of dif ...
* 1932
Lancia Ro The Lancia Ro, Lancia Ro-Ro and Lancia 3Ro were 4x2 heavy trucks built by Italian manufacturer Lancia from the 1930s through the 1940s for military and civilian use. The 2-cylinder diesel Ro was produced from 1933 to 1939, the 3-cylinder diesel Ro ...
* 1935
Lancia Ro-Ro Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but its ...
* 1938 Lancia 3Ro * 1943 Lancia Esaro * 1941
Lancia E290 Lancia E290 is an Italian electric truck produced from 1941 to 1947 from Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was fo ...
electric truck, 202 built (E290 & E291) (La Lancia 3rd Ed, p.431, Wim Oude Weerink) * 1947 Lancia 6Ro * 1947
Lancia Esatau Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
* 1957 Lancia Esatau B * 1959
Lancia Esadelta Lancia Esadelta is an Italian truck produced from 1959 to 1971. History The predecessor was the Lancia Esatau Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13, ...
* 1963 Lancia Esadelta B * 1967 Lancia Esadelta C * 1969
Lancia Esagamma Lancia Esagamma is a truck and bus chassis produced by Italian car manufacturer Lancia from 1962 to 1973. Trucks A total of 6,648 Esagamma trucks were built from 1962 to 1971. The truck uses in the engine parts from aluminum. They are from 6 cy ...


Buses

* 1919
Lancia Eptaiota The Lancia Jota (from the Greek letter iota) is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Lancia between 1915 and 1935. The original 1915 Jota was the first true Lancia truck; throughout the following two decades it was made in a number of dif ...
* 1920
Lancia Trijota (bus) The Lancia Trijota is one of the first buses produced by the Italian vehicle manufacturer Lancia. The bus was produced from 1921 to 1925. Characteristics The bus had an engine with 55 hp and maximum speed of 40 km/h. The length of the bu ...
* 1922 Lancia Tetraiota * 1925 Lancia Pentaiota * 1927
Lancia Omicron Lancia Omicron is a bus chassis produced by the Italian manufacturer Lancia. Production of the Omicron started in 1927 and ended in 1936 after 601 total models were built. History This chassis was fitted with many different body types, a short ...
* 1934 Lancia Ro (bus) * 1947
Lancia Esatau (bus) Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
* 1949
Lancia Esatau (bus) Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
V11 * 1953
Lancia Esatau (bus) Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
V81 * 1957
Lancia Esatau (bus) Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
703 * 1964
Lancia Esagamma (bus) Lancia Esagamma is a truck and bus chassis produced by Italian car manufacturer Lancia from 1962 to 1973. Trucks A total of 6,648 Esagamma trucks were built from 1962 to 1971. The truck uses in the engine parts from aluminum. They are from 6 cy ...
715/718


Trolleybuses

* 1951 Lancia Esatau Pistoiesi * 1956 Lancia Esatau Piaggio Ansaldo * 1961
Lancia Esatau V.11 (trolleybus) Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italy, Italian manufacturer Lancia, Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, wh ...
* 1966 Lancia Diafa trolleybus * 1967 Lancia Bimax * 1968 Lancia Bimax F600 * 1968 Lancia Pistoiesi * 1969 Lancia Menarini Monocar * 1969 Lancia Esatau P Casaro


Military vehicles

* 1912 Lancia 1Z (light truck) * 1912 Lancia 1ZM (armoured car) * 1938 Lancia 3Ro (truck) * 1942 Lancia Esaro (truck) * 1942 Lancia Lince (armoured car) * 1948 Lancia Esatau 6RoM (truck) * 1951 Lancia CL51 (Z 20) (troop transporter) * 1954 Lancia TL51 (Z 30) (truck) * 1960 Lancia 506 (truck) * 1975 Lancia ACL 75 (6611 M) (truck) * 1990 Lancia ACL 90 (truck, later
Iveco IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger o ...
) (truck)


Tractor

* 1947 Lancia 3Ro (based on Fiat)


Other

* 2007
Lancia Bike The Lancia Urban Bike is a concept bicycle created by Italian automaker Lancia in collaboration with MomoDesign. Its manufacturers claim that the bicycle has been designed to account for riding performance and comfort while being minimal in weight ...
* 2009
Lancia di Lancia In 2009 Lancia launched the Lancia di Lancia speedboat at the Venice Film Festival. Built by the Italian boat builder SACS Marine and designed by Christian Grande DesignWorks. The boat has a 6.7-liter common rail turbo diesel engine developed ...
speedboat


Engines

*
Lancia Flat-4 engine The Lancia Flat-4 engine is an aluminum, pushrod engine, pushrod flat-four engine, flat-four (boxer) engine made by Lancia for the Lancia Flavia, Flavia from 1960 through 1984. Though it was a pushrod engine, it was advanced for the time. The pushr ...
* Lancia V4 engine * Lancia V6 engine * Lancia V8 engine *
Lancia Tipo 4 The Lancia Tipo 4 was an Italian aircraft engine constructed by Lancia in the mid-1910s. History This water-cooled V-12 aircraft engine was built in 1916 and had a 50-degree angle between the cylinder banks. The Tipo 4 had a bore and a strok ...
The company has also made industrial engines.


Logo

LogoLancia1907.jpg, Lancia (1907) LogoLancia1911.jpg, Lancia (1911) LogoLancia1929.jpg, Lancia (1929) LogoLancia1957.jpg, Lancia (1957) LogoLancia1974.jpg, Lancia (1974) Lancia logo.jpg, Lancia (2000) Lancia company logo.png, Lancia (2007)


Media and sponsorship

In 2009, the British motoring television show '' Top Gear'' suggested that Lancia had more 'great' models than any other car company. The presenters went on to test the Gamma Coupé, Fulvia Coupé,
Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...
, Montecarlo, Beta Coupé, HPE,
Stratos Stratos may refer to: People As surname *Andreas Stratos (1905–1981), Greek politician and historian *Demetrio Stratos (1945–1979), Italian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and music researcher *Nikolaos Stratos (1872–1922), Greek politicia ...
,
037 37 may refer to: * 37 (number), the natural number following 36 and preceding 38 Years * 37 BC * AD 37 * 1937 * 2037 Other uses * ''37'' (album), by King Never, 2013 * ''37'' (film), a 2016 film about the murder of Kitty Genovese * 37 (MBTA b ...
, Delta Integrale Evo II and Thema 8.32. They also stated during their review that Lancia made the best-looking cars, even though they are unreliable. Lancia sponsored the Venice Film Festival for five years, ending in 2012, with the Lancia Thema used to transport stars to the festival. Lancia was sponsor of the ninth and eleventh World Summits of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.


See also

* List of automobile manufacturers * List of Formula One constructors * List of Italian companies * List of World Rally Championship Constructors' Champions * Martini Racing


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
Lancia models production
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