Lancia has finally thrown us a bone by dropping the first official photos of the new Lancia Gamma, a premium fastback crossover set to land by the end of the year in both hybrid and fully electric flavors. Alongside the pint-sized Ypsilon, it was supposed to form a holy trinity of Italian automotive resurgence. But if you were holding your breath for the return of the legendary Lancia Delta, you might want to exhale before you pass out.
Back in 2021, Lancia’s former CEO Luca Napolitano practically swore on a stack of classic car brochures that the Delta would return by 2028 as an electric manifesto of progress and technology. Fast forward to a recent Stellantis corporate presentation, and the Delta has mysteriously vanished from the brand’s future product roadmap.
In its place under Lancia’s name? Absolutely nothing but the Gamma through 2030. Even Lancia’s new CEO, Roberta Zerbi, who took the wheel in November 2025, has treated the Delta project with the kind of absolute silence usually reserved for embarrassing family secrets, focusing entirely on pushing the Ypsilon and Gamma in the short term.
In its infinite quest to streamline resources and maximize capital efficiency, Stellantis has demoted Lancia into a “Specialty Brand” answering directly to Fiat, while sister brand DS Automobiles has been shoved under Citroën.
While Lancia fans weep, Alfa Romeo has proudly confirmed it is building a spiritual successor to the 147 and Giulietta. This premium compact hatchback will ride on the new STLA architecture and come with a choice of electric and hybrid powertrains. It feels as if Stellantis literally chopped off a limb from Lancia’s drawing board and stitched it onto Alfa Romeo’s assembly line.
If the Delta is truly dead, again, it closes another tragic chapter for a nameplate that defined automotive cool. The Giugiaro-designed original first-generation conquered roads from 1979 to 1994, capturing six consecutive WRC constructors’ titles and spawning the iconic road-going Delta HF Integrale. After a forgettable, Tipo-based second generation and a third-generation that traded rally dirt for soft leather in 2008, the Delta quietly expired in 2014.
