Lancia receives the “A STAR IS BACK” award following the success of its Renaissance

• On the occasion of the 2025 AUTOBEST Awards ceremony held in Vienna, Lancia received the new “A STAR IS BACK” award, a tribute to iconic brands which have made successful comebacks on the international scene.
• A jury of 32 industry journalists from 32 European countries chose Lancia in recognition of its Renaissance— its ten-year strategic plan centered on design, technology, sustainability, and quality.
• Available in hybrid and fully electric versions, the New Ypsilon—the first model of the brand’s new era—has been warmly embraced both by consumers and critics.
• The return of the HF badge marks Lancia’s return to motorsports: the Ypsilon Rally4 HF, which is starring in in Italy’s premier rally races, the adrenaline-fueled Trofeo Lancia, and the arrival of the 280-hp Ypsilon HF Stradale this summer.
   

At the 24^th AUTOBEST Awards held in Vienna, Lancia received the “A STAR IS BACK” award, an accolade that pays tribute to iconic models and brands which have been successfully relaunched. An independent organization founded in 2021, AUTOBEST’s international jury—comprising 32 industry journalists from 32 European countries—decided to give the inaugural edition of this award to Lancia in recognition of its Renaissance—the strategy that is once again making the brand desirable, respected, and trustworthy within the European premium market.

Luca Napolitano, Lancia CEO, who couldn’t attend the ceremony due to a prior engagement, stated: “Receiving this award is an extremely proud moment for the entire team and a clear signal that we are on the right path. Our Renaissance is founded on vision, elegance, innovation, and respect for our past. The acclaim surrounding the New Ypsilon, our return to the rally world, and the new showrooms we’ve launched across Europe prove that Lancia is back.”

Lancia’s Renaissance officially got underway at the end of 2023 with the debut of the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE concept and the unveiling of the brand’s new logo and identity. It is an ambitious and structured ten-year strategic plan that aims to leverage the brand’s iconic heritage and shape its future around four key pillars: design, technology, sustainability, and quality. Unveiled to the public in February 2024, the New Lancia Ypsilon represents the first concrete step in this journey, marking the brand’s entry into the electric premium B-segment with both hybrid and fully electric versions. To complete the launch, the brand introduced the elegant Ypsilon Edizione Cassina, produced in 1,906 numbered models, which turns the car’s cabin into an authentic Italian living room, featuring refined materials, blue-velvet interiors, and the famous Cassina tavolino. Warmly embraced by both the public and press, the New Ypsilon won important international awards like the Design Trophy 2024 from L’Automobile Magazine and the 2024 Prisa Motor Award for best design of the year.

Following this success, Lancia’s Renaissance will continue with two major additions to the New Ypsilon that showcase the evolution of the brand’s strategy: the imminent arrival of the Ypsilon HF—the high-performance road vehicle—and the debut of the Ypsilon HF Line, a brand-new trim offering a contemporary take on Lancia’s sporting heritage. With these two versions, Lancia strengthens its dual identity: on the one hand, elegance and comfort, as embodied by the Ypsilon and LX versions; on the other, a renewed focus on sportiness—forward-looking and aligned with electrification—with the HF line, which will reach its fullest expression in the powerful 280-hp Ypsilon HF. Both set to be released by summer, they are prepared to win over an increasingly discerning public that values style, performance, and sustainability. And the excitement doesn’t stop there: the legendary HF badge, a symbol of Lancia’s most daring vehicles, is also slated to return on the Gamma in 2026 and the upcoming Delta in its HF Integrale version.

Marking Lancia’s official return to motorsports, the HF badge was first reintroduced in the racing world, carving its way through rally stages before returning to the streets. The new Ypsilon Rally4 HF debuted the new logo at the Regione Piemonte Rally in April 2025, unveiling it to the public for the first time. A few weeks later, the bold vehicle took part in the iconic Targa Florio Rally and later in the historic Rally Due Valli, officially kicking off the first edition of the Trofeo Lancia: the high-octane, one-brand cup featuring a €360,000 prize fund and the chance for a young driver to win a spot in the official Lancia Corse HF team for the 2026 European Rally Championship. Designed for performance and accessibility, the Ypsilon Rally4 HF is equipped with a 212-hp, 1.2 turbo engine paired with a SADEV 5-speed gearbox and a setup engineered to take on the most demanding conditions in special stages. Developed in collaboration with two-time World Rally Champion Miki Biasion, 90 models have already been sold to private teams across Europe, proving that it is not only an ode to the past, but also a launchpad for the future.

In conjunction with this new strategy, Lancia has also introduced a network of completely renovated showrooms: Casa Lancia. With 160 Italian locations, Casa Lancia showrooms are elegant, immersive, technological spaces where thousands of customers have already had the opportunity to experience the entire Ypsilon lineup firsthand. Now expanding across Europe, Lancia plans to open 70 new Casa Lancia showrooms in key cities throughout France, Spain, Belgium-Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany. Each showroom will feature the brand’s new identity and a distribution strategy centered on quality, electrification, sustainability, and innovation.

Lastly, Lancia’s Renaissance will continue into 2026 with the release of the Gamma flagship—the second car in the brand’s new era and a cornerstone of its future direction. Designed and developed in Italy, the new vehicle will be produced at the Melfi plant and will embody the brand’s commitment to sustainability and high performance, celebrating the unmistakable elegance that has defined Lancia for decades.

Turin, June 18, 2025

Simona Magnarelli: +39 366 6729414
simona.magnarelli@stellantis.com 

Lancia
With 118 years of history, Lancia represents timeless Italian Elegance, a brand that made people around the globe dream, thanks to its iconic vehicles: the elegant Flaminia and Aurelia B24 Spider, the high-performance Delta, Stratos and 037, the eclectic Fulvia, the Beta HPE and many others.
Lancia embarked on its Renaissance with the launch of the New Lancia Ypsilon and with a 10-year strategic plan that is moving ahead in leaps and bounds.
Innovation and timeless design have always been the founding principles for the brand. And now sustainability, customer centricity and social responsibility have also become essential, because Lancia is determined to look to the future with great commitment and ambition.
 

LinkedIn Lancia Instagram Lancia Facebook Lancia X Lancia YouTube Lancia TikTok Lancia