05 Apr 1997

Lancia Y Elefantino Blu, Lancia Y 1.2 16v

Lancia Y Elefantino Blu, Lancia Y 1.2 16v
The evolution of a successful model

The Lancia Y, has totted up almost 80,000 sales in its first year on the market.has totted up almost 80,000 sales in its first year on the market. This represents a presence to be reckoned with in the upper half of segment B with customers who appreciate the fact that in just 3.7 metres overall length, the car offers all the content usually reserved for vehicles that are decidedly larger and more powerful.

On the strength of this success, and determined to consolidate the market position it has earned, the prestigious Lancia Y faces 1997 with a new range, enhanced on one side by new technological content, and on the other by the launch of two new versions.

The new Lancia Y has three main strong points:

  • a 1.2 16v version with a brand new 1242 cc 16-valve FIRE engine, which combines sparkling performance, flexibility and low consumption with brio to enhance the car's renowned refinement and elegance;
  • a version designed for the young, suited to this customer bracket in both interior and exterior styling, and the engine (a 1.1 FIRE) which guarantees low running costs. The car sports a symbol made famous by Lancia heritage, the little blue elephant;
  • the enhancement of existing specification for the Italian market, with the addition of power steering as standard on the Lancia Y LE and foglights on the LS and LX.

    These are significant changes. The Blue Elephant version confirms the Lancia Y's vocation as a youthful, unconventional car, capable of anticipating customer demands, and setting new trends. The 1.2 16v version, powered by the first 16-valve FIRE engine, is the latest interpretation of Lancia's traditional role as the standard-bearer for technological innovation inside the Fiat Group. In market terms, these 1997 innovations strengthen the model's image and potential. In its first year, the Lancia Y easily reached its sales targets, dominating the upper half of segment B, to the satisfaction of more demanding customers, whom the model addressed when it was launched.

    Now, with the introduction of the 1.2 16v engine, the Lancia Y acquires new technological features, thus reinforcing its position in this segment of the market. At the same time, it extends the range by addressing the younger motorist, who will find a car with the customary refinement, comfort, safety and exclusiveness in the new Lancia Y Blue Elephant, but with a more relaxed, light-hearted image, and lower running costs.
    Customer thus have more choice today: four engines, three gearboxes, four trim levels, 24 options, four styles of interior furnishings in 17 colours and 113 bodywork colours. A vast array of options that guarantee to everyone the possibility of owning not only a Lancia Y, but the Lancia Y that meets personal requirements, preferences and needs perfectly.

    Whoever buys a Lancia Y wants to stand out; to drive a car with compact dimensions but comprehensive appointments. This is emphasised by the fact that seven customers out of ten chose the higher specifications, LS (55%) and LX (15%).

    80% of purchasers chose the 1.2 engine, compared to 20% for the 1.4.

    Statistics show that purchasers of the Lancia Y (55% male) are among the most satisfied customers in this market bracket. The product features that contribute most to this result are the car's styling and finish.

    The Lancia Y means also "Kaleidos", the option that has made this Lancia model the first mass produced car to be offered in a choice of more than 100 body colours. This opportunity to really tailor-make the car was immediately appreciated by the public, and it remains popular with a large number of customers who tend to choose the red, yellow and blue shades in the Kaleidos palette. The Lancia Y, arouses interest and emotions for its absolutely original styling, but it wins customers for i.e. lavish appointments, painstaking finish, comfort, performance and safety that it embodies.

    The 1997 Lancia Y range will be marketed in Italy from April 5, in France, Belgium and Portugal during the month of April, and in other European countries in May.

    Sparkling new 1.2 16 valve engine

    Lancia was first to use an engine from the FIRE family in the Y 10, in 1985. Today, confirming its mission, which has always been to foster technological innovation, Lancia offers the first 1242 cc, 16 valve FIRE engine, a power pack that is the response of Italian technology to customers' requests for an increase in performance and driving comfort, together with lower running costs and a lower environmental impact, in this market segment..
    To reconcile these requirements, which are often in contrast, the company's engineers completely redesigned the cylinder head and intake and exhaust manifolds of the 8-valve 1.2 engine, and made other significant changes, stiffening the main bearings and reducing alternating masses.

    The outcome of these radical changes is a new engine, with 16 valves, whose outstanding features give the Lancia Y an excellent top speed, sparkling acceleration for safe overtaking and agility in traffic, and great flexibility. The latter characteristic in particular is responsible for the extremely enjoyable drive, which the Lancia Y 1.2 16v guarantees from the first time you take the wheel, with prompt responses in every situation and complete control over the vehicle.

    The new engine's major technical characteristics are:

  • a very compact 'bi-block' cylinder head, which has the same exterior dimensions as the 8v engine from which it is derived, to enhance engine performance, and make more space available in the engine bay;
  • the small (20º) angle between the valves, the compact combustion chambers and the redesigned intake manifolds, which produce the engine's excellent efficiency. We should add that, compared to the original engine, the new 1.2 16v achieves a 15% increase in peak power, and a simultaneous reduction in specific fuel consumption;
  • a cylinder head cover, without the traditional tappet cover.
  • This was achieved by adopting an advanced casting system which made it possible to produce, as a one piece part, the complex oil feed that lubricates the camshaft and tappets;
  • an automatic timing belt tensioner, which helps to maintain maximum engine efficiency over time.

    For the Lancia Y customer, this means being able to rely on a brilliant engine which maintains the car's refinement that is so popular with customers, plus sparkling performance at all speeds and a particularly enjoyable drive in all situations.

    Powered by the 1.2 16v engine, the Lancia Y has a power output of 86 bhp (63 kW) at 6000 rpm, and peak torque of 11.5 kgm (113 Nm) at 4,500 rpm, 90% of which is already available at 2,500 rpm. It has a top speed of 177 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.9 seconds, and covers a kilometre from a standing start in 32.9 seconds.

    Excellent performance is combined with extremely low fuel consumption: the Lancia Y 1.2 16v will cover almost 20 kilometres (19.6) at a speed of 90 km/h on one litre of petrol. Consumption recorded by the previous car was: 5.1 l/100 km at 90 km/h; 6.9 l/100 km at 120 km/h and 7.9 l/100 km in the urban cycle. That recorded by recent EU 93/116 standards is: 5.1 l/100 km out of town, 6.6 l/100 km on mixed routes and 9.2 l/100 km in the urban cycle.

    IThe 1.2 16v is only offered with LS and LX specification, while the 60 bhp FIRE 1.2 SPI engine is still available on LE and LS versions.

    Lancia Y Elefantino Blu: aimed at youth

    The symbol that identifies this version is the auspicious, blue elephant, which has been linked to Lancia tradition for many years, and is as self-confident, captivating and cheerful as the car's own styling.

    Externally the car is recognisable for its body-coloured radiator grille and new wheel trims, as well as the elephant symbol. Three of the six body colours are new and exclusive to this version: Metro blue, Titian red and Tropical yellow, colours that project nonchalance, good humour and the wish to stand out.

    Inside, tastefully matching the exterior colour, there are a number of lively colours for the seat fabrics, in two shades to differentiate the seat cushion and squab from the containment bands. And the titanium-coloured central console and instrumentation give a touch of hi tech. The Lancia Y "Blue Elephant" inherits all the model's excellence (safety, comfort, refinement, etc.) reinterpreting it for younger tastes. Comprehensive standard equipment includes electric front windows, height-adjustable pretensioned front seat-belts, boot release from inside the car, FPS fire prevention system, Lancia Code immobiliser and 14" wheels.

    The Lancia Y "Blue Elephant" combines this youthful image with a 1.1 FIRE engine (54 bhp), which guarantees flexibility as well as low running costs (consumption, insurance, road tax, tax bracket, etc.).

    A good luck charm, (the symbol of loyalty, esteem and friendliness), the little elephant discreetly adorns the central pillars and, on the inside, the central console, where it replaces the version badging.

    The decision to produce the Lancia Y "Blue Elephant" was the result of a strategy prompted by analysis of the model's results in 1996

    For example, if we consider segment B in the Italian market, and in particular sales of three-door petrol models, the bracket where the model belongs, we see that the Lancia Y accounted for 15%.

    It is an excellent result, particularly if we remember that, because of its characteristics, the car has so far addressed customers in the upper part of the segment. Since its debut, the Lancia Y has attracted the interest of the more demanding segment B customers. It is no coincidence. Lancia set out to build a car for this target with a model that was absolutely unique in the current styling genre, a car that was not just a luxury runabout, but more of a 'pocket flagship', offering the distinction, comfort, driving enjoyment and safety that you would normally expect from a larger car.
    The Lancia Y has achieved its market objective in full, winning over the type of customer for whom it was conceived. Customers of this model include many businessmen, executives and professionals (twice the average for the segment), which explains why the car has captured 17% of the market (segment B, 3-door petrol models) in the over-35 bracket.

    Now, with the "Blue Elephant" version, Lancia is offering a younger audience the possibility of acquiring a model that will enable them to stand out, a car with a unique style and personality.

    The result is the Lancia Y with its captivating styling and good performance, better suited to a younger public in terms of both purchasing price and running costs.