Lancia Goes Back To Its Rally Roots With 240-HP Ypsilon HF Hot Hatch

Say hello to the new Lancia Ypsilon HF, a rally-inspired electric hot hatch and an official indicator that the revived Lancia brand is going rallying again. Based on the new Ypsilon hatchback, which shares its underpinnings with the Fiat 500e and its Abarth-badged sibling. The latter is particularly important, as the Ypsilon HF gets just as much juice as the Abarth does, meaning 240 hp from its electric powertrain and a 0-62 mph time of just 5.8 seconds. Additionally, the Ypsilon HF gets lowered suspension, a widened track, and aggressive visual enhancements. Aside from those details, Lancia has been coy with extra information, only going so far as to state the Ypsilon HF will go on sale in May 2025. The bad news is that’s in Europe, as it seems Stellantis has no intentions of bringing Lancia to America.

Is That A Martini Livery I See?

In its announcement of the new electric hot hatch, Lancia led with a slew of images of a car wearing a very Martini-esque rally livery, also sporting embellishments like a roof scoop, hood vents, white rally wheels, and bucket seats. Sadly, those aren’t options on the roadgoing car, as this is a second car called the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF. This car is a statement of intent – Lancia is going rallying again.

The road car may be pure electric, but in order to compete in the R4 class and two-wheel drive championships (fun fact: Lancia was the last Constructor to win WRC with a rear-wheel drive car, the 037, after which everyone moved to AWD), Lancia needs a combustion engine. As such, the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF has a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine pumping out 212 hp to the front axle via a five-speed mechanical transmission with a mechanical limited-slip differential.

Lancia’s Iconic HF Nameplate Makes A Triumphant Return

If you’re not familiar with the HF nameplate, it stems from 1960 when the Lancia Hi-Fi Club was launched – an exclusive club for the most loyal customers. To celebrate the formation of the club, a new logo was created with the HF lettering and an elephant. Three years later, this was adopted by Squadra Corse Lancia as the official logo of Lancia’s racing exploits. Fast-forward 61 years, and the logo has been reinterpreted for its reintroduction for the first time since the Delta HF Integrale. There’s also a new interpretation of it for the Squadre Corse racing division.

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