The Fiat Group’s plan to reintroduce its premium brand Lancia to the UK market next year has been postponed indefinitely.
“Given the current global economic crisis, Fiat Auto has taken the decision to delay the reintroduction of the Lancia brand in right-hand-drive markets beyond 2009,” said Fiat in a statement.
A Fiat UK company insider told Autocar there was no new schedule in place for a later UK roll-out either.
“Right now it would be ill-advised to commit to a date on any relaunch of Lancia in Britain.”
Our source went on to suggest that the new £20k-plus Delta was simply the wrong car for the moment, and that relaunching the Lancia brand with it now “just wouldn’t make sense.”
He insisted that work would continue behind the scenes to bring more UK dealers onboard for a potential reintroduction. “Our work to prepare the ground for Lancia to come back won’t be wasted. We simply have to wait for things to get better.”
When asked if the UK roll-out would now be timed to coincide with the arrival of the new Ypsilon supermini, which could begin right-hand drive production in early 2010, the insider told Autocar that “all things are possible.”
The source wasn’t aware whether any Lancia deposits had been taken by dealers for UK deliveries of the new Delta in 2009, but insisted that any that had woud be returned.
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Re: Lancia: the relaunch is off
Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Having said that, the link you provided includes a photo of the Lancia Thesis. I have never met anyone (who has actually seen one or driven in one) who regarded this car as "loathsome" or "hideous." My neighbour's bordeaux coloured Thesis gets admiring views and comments frequently.
As regards
I don't think that Lancia's target market is footballer's wives or packaged sub-prime mortgage sellers. They are not trying to compete in the same market as the Cadillac Escapde.
Re: Lancia: the relaunch is off
;-)
They certainly are challenging to the eye. May be that's a national preference thing as well?
Look at the positive side though, if they ever get in trouble as a company at least they'll have Ssangyong as a potential buyer.
Re: Lancia: the relaunch is off
TegTypeR has just explained in the preceding post about the value of "the badge" in the UK (thanks!). I don't doubt that he is right (probably why I see so many low spec BMW 3 series when I visit there: please believe me, an equivalent-price and therefore well-equipped and well-engined VW Passat or Ctröen C5 is a far superior car then an entry level 318 - or 316 or whatever is entry level there - BMW don't sell anything lower than 320 where I live).
To get to your point, the new Lancia Delta is actually a MUCH BETTER car than a Mercedes A-Class - really. So is an equivalent priced VW Golf, Renault Megane or Peugot 308. The A-Class is really more of a marketing exercise than a car. It is "placed" for peiople who want to boast they have or be seen in a Mercedes, but can't really afford one. The boys in Stuttgart probably have a good laugh every time one is sold. It's interior is well packaged, but all but the largest engines that it is offered with are rough and noisy and - to use a word for word translation from the verneacular phrase used here - would not pull you out of bed. It is also really lousy value for money.
So, by all means, put the badge or perception first -- it is your money - but my feeling is you are doing yourselves a big disservice by not looking at any car for what it actually intrinsically is.