Lancia currently boasts far more devout fans than actual paying customers, and there is simply no polite way to sugarcoat it. That blunt diagnosis comes straight from the brand’s new CEO, Arnaud Belloni, speaking at the Paris Motor Show. To bridge the gap between romantic nostalgia and cold hard cash, the manager steering both Lancia and Fiat floating a proposition that turns enthusiast heads: digging deeply into the brand’s legendary archive.
Instead of mass-market reboots, the idea centers on producing ultra-exclusive, biennial limited series of icons like the Delta Integrale, Stratos, and 037 for a select few with deep pockets. A recipe strikingly similar to Alfa Romeo’s recent Bottega/Fuoriserie playbook.
Belloni draws a clear line between two distinct groups: hardcore “Lancisti,” who idolize the Fulvia or Delta and would happily buy a modern continuation model blindly, and standard consumers who actually generate volume. The primary headache is that vast swathes of both demographics have long since defected to rival badges. Winning them back remains the ultimate goal, but nostalgic supercar clones aren’t the only leverage point.
The CEO is also glancing downward at compact city cars tailored for fashionable European capitals, taking explicit inspiration from the Autobianchi A112 and the Y10, classics that each racked up well over a million sales. Modern platform-sharing across Stellantis makes resurrecting that urban magic technically viable, at least on paper.
Yet, between ambitious brainstorms in Paris and actual showroom deliveries lies a minor, inescapable hurdle: cash. As it stands, the budget for these passion projects simply does not exist. The immediate future rests entirely on the shoulders of the new Ypsilon and the upcoming Gamma. Only if these mainstream models successfully repair the brand’s financial health can Lancia seriously consider indulging in its heritage catalog.
For now, all eyes are turned toward early 2027 for “Lancia Day,” where the Turin automaker plans to outline the next steps of its corporate renaissance, fresh identity, and product lineup. Whether that event yields tangible sheet metal or just more polished boardroom dreams remains to be seen.